US Measles Cases Reach 4,588 as Pennsylvania Records Five Deaths

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data on Friday showing the scale of the 2026 measles outbreak has expanded.

Federal health authorities logged 178 additional cases in the United States during the past week. This brings the national total for 2026 to 4,588 cases. That figure is more than double the number of cases recorded in the entirety of 2025.

The disease is currently active in at least 43 distinct outbreaks across the country. Pennsylvania continues to report the highest number of cases, with 1,338 confirmed infections as of Friday. South Carolina and Utah are also experiencing large outbreaks, with both states reporting more than 500 cases each.

A discrepancy exists between federal and state records regarding fatalities. State officials in Pennsylvania have reported five deaths associated with measles and are investigating a sixth. The CDC has reported three measles deaths nationally but has not specified the location of the third death. This lack of clarity has raised questions about whether the federal count includes a Pennsylvania fatality.

The data release coincides with ongoing criticism of the agency's transparency. Reuters reported that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked senior CDC officials in September to remove a specific measles death from the official tally. He questioned whether the disease contributed to that individual's death.

HHS also announced changes to the vaccine injury reporting system this week. A new proposal will allow doctors to bill for reporting suspected vaccine injuries. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, has been a focal point for anti-vaccine activism, with critics using it to claim safety issues that researchers say are not always supported by evidence.

Kennedy has made several changes to the department's vaccine infrastructure. He fired all 17 members of the expert panel that previously reviewed vaccine safety, replacing them with individuals who share his ideological alignment. A court blocked those appointments in March. During his tenure, Kennedy has also directed the CDC to remove language stating that vaccines do not cause autism and has claimed that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine contains aborted fetal debris.