Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said US measles cases have now reached 733, which is 145 more than a week ago. And South Carolina, which is combating by far the largest outbreak in the country, now has 920 infections in an outbreak that started last fall, 44 of which are new in the past few days.
Of the 733 US cases, six were travel-related and 727 reported by 20 states. Fully 92% of confirmed cases (671) are outbreak-related, mostly outbreaks that began last year and continue to grow.
Among measles patients, 95% are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccine status, compared with 4% who are fully vaccinated. Eighty-five percent of patients are children or young adults up to 19 years old, while 28% are younger than five years old.
Twenty-three patients this year (3%) have required hospital care, compared with 11% last year. No deaths have yet been reported, compared with three in 2025, which saw 2,276 infections for the year, the most since 1991. The country, however, is on track to pass that total this year and lose the measles elimination status it had gained in 2000 after coordinated vaccination efforts.
Top CDC officials, however, have recently downplayed the impact of measles on US children, even though it is one of the most contagious diseases known. Last month Ralph Abraham, MD, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said losing measles elimination status is the “cost of doing business.” And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, has issued confusing vaccine advice.
Largest US outbreak in decades reaches 920 cases
In an update today, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH) noted that the state’s outbreak—the largest in decades—grew from 876 cases to 920. It is almost certain to top 1,000 cases in the coming weeks.
Last year’s largest outbreak, centered in West Texas, began in late January 2025 and was declared over in August after 762 cases. The SCDPH reported South Carolina’s first cases on October 2, 2025. The outbreak is centered in the Upstate region of the state, especially Spartanburg County, and closely tied to students in private schools with low vaccination rates.
Of the 920 cases so far, 879 (96%) have been in Spartanburg County. Similarly, 95% of case-patients have been unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccine status. Almost 90% of cases involve children, including 240 children (26%) under age five years.
Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent measles and stop this outbreak.
Currently 277 people are in quarantine in the state, and eight measles patients are in isolation.
“Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent measles and stop this outbreak,” the SCDPH said. “In January 2026, there was a strong increase in measles vaccinations across the state and in Spartanburg, where the outbreak is centered. Over 16,800 doses of measles vaccine were administered statewide, an increase of more than 7,000 doses compared to January 2025, a 72% increase.”
Spartanburg County saw a 162% vaccination increase compared with last January.
Other states record new cases
Other states across the country noted new measles infections. Arizona, which has the second largest outbreak in the United States, recorded 10 new infections, bringing its 2026 total to 34. Its outbreak total is now 254, which includes 220 cases in 2025. Of the 2026 cases, 25 have been in Mohave County in the north.
Utah’s 2025-26 outbreak grew by 14 cases, to 251. Fifty-six of those cases have been reported this year, 48 of them in the past three weeks. Of the 251 outbreak cases, 163 are in southwest Utah, across the border from Mohave County, Arizona.
North Carolina reported two new cases, including a new hospital patient. Its measles total so far this year reached 17 illnesses.
Washington state is not far behind, at 16 cases so far this year, after Clark County officials this week reported six new cases, seven total. Neighboring Idaho, with three new cases, now has 21 cases for both 2025 and 2026. Symptoms began for seven of the patients this year.
After officials yesterday confirmed 20 measles cases at Ave Maria University in Collier County, Florida, officials at the University of Florida in Gainesville reported measles exposures after state officials confirmed two cases in its county, Alachua. And today the administration of St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Petersburg confirmed a measles case in a student.
