By Mariam Sunny and Siddhi Mahatole
July 24 (Reuters) - The United States has recorded 2,318 confirmed cases of measles so far this year, the CDC said on Friday, surpassing last year's tally and marking the highest level since 1991.
Of the total, 2,302 cases were reported by 45 jurisdictions and 16 were identified among international visitors to the U.S. as of Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The country had reported 2,289 confirmed cases in 2025.
Measles is a highly contagious
virus that causes fever and rashes. It can be prevented with the MMR vaccine, which offers strong protection with two doses.
"Reaching this milestone is particularly striking because we are only in July, and measles cases are still being reported throughout the country, with outbreaks in Virginia and Pennsylvania," said William Moss, Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The U.S. has experienced several major measles outbreaks under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly promoted the claim that measles vaccines are linked to autism despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
This includes the one that began in West Texas in early 2025 and spread into neighboring New Mexico, as well as a large South Carolina outbreak that was declared over in April.
The CDC said 35 outbreaks have been reported so far in 2026, compared with 48 last year.
"Since early last year, federal leaders have dismissed measles as benign and unavoidable and have spread misleading information about the MMR vaccine," said Andrew Racine, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Halfway into 2026, the U.S. is experiencing the worst year for measles since 1991. We are witnessing an avoidable crisis that disproportionally hurts children."
The outbreak in South Carolina, which began in October 2025 and sickened nearly 1,000 people over six months, was the largest single-location outbreak in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.
That elimination status is now under review, with the Pan American Health Organization delaying a decision until November.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny, Sneha S K and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
