US measles cases reach 4,588 as Pennsylvania tallies five deaths

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 178 new measles cases this week, bringing the 2026 national total to 4,588 as of Friday. That figure is more than double the tally recorded for all of 2025. Active outbreaks are underway in at least 43 locations.

Pennsylvania reported 1,338 cases on Friday, the highest state count in the nation. South Carolina and Utah each report more than 500 cases. The CDC also reports large outbreaks in both states.

Death counts diverge between state and federal records. Pennsylvania authorities report five measles-associated deaths and are investigating a sixth. The CDC reports three deaths nationally. The agency has not disclosed where its third death occurred.

Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr reportedly asked senior CDC officials in September to remove a measles death from the federal tally, according to Reuters. Kennedy questioned whether the disease contributed to that death.

Health and Human Services announced changes to vaccine injury reporting systems this week. A proposal would let doctors bill for reporting suspected vaccine injuries. The vaccine adverse event reporting system, known as VAERS, tracks rare safety issues and has drawn claims from anti-vaccine activists.

Kennedy fired all 17 members of the expert panel that weighed vaccine risk and benefit questions before his appointment. A court blocked his replacements in March. The measles vaccine is 97% effective at preventing infection. One in five unvaccinated people who catch measles is hospitalized, and one to three in 1,000 die of complications.