US measles cases reach 35-year high - The Hill

What the report says

The Hill reported July 22 that recorded U.S. measles cases in 2026 have risen to 2,295, narrowly exceeding the 2,289 cases reported for all of 2025, based on Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracker. The count marks the country’s highest measles total in 35 years, with the last higher annual figure coming in 1990, when 27,808 cases were recorded.

According to The Hill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not yet reflected the milestone because its measles data had not been updated since July 17. The latest CDC update cited in the report showed 34 newly declared measles outbreaks this year and cases reported across 44 jurisdictions.

The development is significant because the United States formally declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning the disease was no longer continuously spreading domestically. The Hill noted that this status is now in question because transmission has continued for more than a year, the threshold used to assess whether elimination has been lost. The U.S. and Mexico are expected to meet with the Pan American Health Organization in November to review their statuses; Canada lost its elimination status last year.

The Hill also provided historical context, noting that U.S. measles cases dropped sharply after 1990 following a stronger vaccination push and the prior year’s adoption of a two-dose vaccine schedule. Since elimination, annual U.S. totals were generally much lower, though 2019 saw about 1,300 cases. With more than five months left in 2026, the current count is likely to keep rising.