US measles cases top 5,400 as outbreaks spread, with deaths rising to eight, CDC says

Measles cases across the United States have topped 5,400, according to updated data posted on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as outbreaks continue to spread across the country.

The CDC says a total of 5,412 infections have been reported across 45 states. That is 230 more infections than in last Friday's update.

By comparison, between 2000 and 2024 the United States averaged only 180 cases a year.

State health departments have reported a total of eight deaths: six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin.

A decision on the United States' measles elimination status could come as soon as Friday, according to the update.

The share of kindergartners vaccinated against measles fell from 95 percent in 2019 to 92 percent in 2026. Herd immunity is typically provided when 95 percent of a community is vaccinated. Roughly 300,000 kindergartners entered classrooms this year without being vaccinated.

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is given in two doses: the first between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. The two doses are 97 percent effective at preventing infection, and even those who are infected after vaccination are less likely to become severely ill.

Measles is the most contagious disease in the world. A sick person can infect 90 percent of unvaccinated people they come into contact with, and the virus lives on surfaces and in the air for two hours after a sick person leaves a room.

Measles is not just a rash. One in 10 children with measles gets an ear infection, and one in 10 gets diarrhoea.

One in five unvaccinated people ends up in hospital, while one in 20 children gets pneumonia. In addition, one in 1,000 children gets encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that can lead to seizures, deafness or intellectual disability. Nearly one to three of every 1,000 infected children die from respiratory and neurological complications.