Since the beginning of 2026, 2,318 confirmed cases of measles have been registered in the United States, the highest figure in 35 years. This is reported by the BBC, citing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), writes UNN.
Details
The number of infected has already exceeded the record of 2025, when 2,289 cases of the disease were recorded in the country. The increase is linked to a decline in vaccination rates and the spread of skepticism toward vaccinations.
According to the BBC, a special commission is to decide in November whether the United States will retain its status as a country that has eliminated measles. This status could be lost if transmission of the same virus strain continues uninterrupted for more than a year.
Over the past 18 months, more measles cases have been registered in the United States than in the previous 25 years combined. Last year, an outbreak in Texas led to the deaths of two unvaccinated children, and another unvaccinated adult died in the neighboring state of New Mexico. New outbreaks have recently been detected in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Utah, with measles cases recorded in approximately 45 states.
Experts criticize vaccination policy
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has faced criticism from experts for his statements and revision of vaccination policy. At the same time, he stated that the MMR vaccine is "the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles," but also promoted unproven treatments.
In the United States, children are recommended two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which provides about 97% protection against the disease. To achieve herd immunity, the vaccination rate should be around 95%, but in some communities it is significantly lower. In particular, during an outbreak among the Russian and Ukrainian immigrant community in South Carolina, vaccination rates at some schools were only about 20%.