US measles total hits 4,588 as death count dispute grows

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 178 new measles cases in the United States this week.

The agency said the national total for 2026 reached 4,588 as of Friday. That figure is more than double the count recorded in 2025.

Outbreaks are active in at least 43 locations across the country. Pennsylvania continues to report the highest number of cases with 1,338 infections recorded on the same day. South Carolina and Utah each reported more than 500 cases.

Health experts criticize the CDC for a lack of transparency in its data reporting. The discrepancy is most visible in death counts. Pennsylvania state authorities have confirmed five measles-associated deaths and are investigating a sixth. The CDC has officially reported only three measles deaths nationwide.

The federal agency has refused to specify where the third death occurred. This ambiguity obscures whether the CDC is counting a Pennsylvania death or one from another state.

Reuters reported that Health 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 patient's death.

HHS announced changes to vaccine injury reporting systems this week. A 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 the anti-vaccine movement. While useful for researchers tracking rare safety issues, it is also used by activists to make claims about vaccine safety.

Kennedy fired all 17 members of the expert panel that previously evaluated vaccine risks and benefits. He replaced them with ideologically aligned members, a move a court blocked in March. During his tenure, Kennedy has claimed children receive more than 90 vaccine doses and linked vaccines to autism. He also directed the CDC to remove text from its website stating that vaccines do not cause autism.

Leading physicians described his suggestion that vitamin A and cod liver oil may help children with measles as misleading. The measles vaccine remains 97% effective at preventing the disease. One in five unvaccinated people who contract measles is hospitalized, and between one and three people in 1,000 die from complications.