Measles cases nationwide top 5,400 as deaths rise to 10

Measles cases nationwide have topped 5,400, according to updated data posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday.

The CDC says 5,412 infections have been reported across 45 states. That is 230 more infections since the update last Friday. Between 2000-2024, the United States averaged 180 cases annually. 

A total of eight deaths have been reported by state health departments -- six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin.

A decision about the U.S. measles elimination status come could come as soon as Friday.

Vaccination rates

The number of kindergartners vaccinated with the measles vaccine dropped from 95% in 2019 to 92% in 2026. Herd immunity is typically provided at 95% vaccination rates in communities. There are now roughly 300,000 kindergartners that entered classrooms this year without being vaccinated. 

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine comes in two doses. The first dose is received between 12-15 months of age, followed by a second dose between 4-6 years of age. Those two doses are 97% effective at preventing infection. Even if still infected, those vaccinated are less likely to become severely ill. 

More on measles

Measles in the most contagious disease in the world. A sick individual can infect 90% of unvaccinated people they come into contact with. The virus lives on surfaces and in the air two hours after a sick person leaves the room.

Measles is not just a rash. One in 10 children with measles get ear infections and one in 10 children with measles get diarrhea. 

One in 5 people that are unvaccinated land in the hospital, while one in 20 children get pneumonia.

Additionally, one in 1,000 children get encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that can lead to seizures, deafness, of intellectual disability.

Nearly one to three of every 1,000 children who become infected die from respiratory and neurological complications.