More than 5,000 people have contracted measles in the United States in 2026, marking the country’s largest outbreak in decades. A health official has described the disease as preventable, while US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly raised doubts about vaccination.
The United States is experiencing its biggest measles outbreak in more than 35 years, with 5,182 confirmed cases reported so far in 2026, according to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday.
Meanwhile, an infant has died from the highly contagious disease in Wisconsin, marking the state’s first measles-related death in more than three and a half decades.
The number of cases recorded this year is the highest since 1991. The US reported 2,289 cases throughout 2025, less than half the total already registered in 2026. Four people have died from measles this year, compared with three fatalities in 2025.
New York reported its first measles-related death in 30 years on Monday. In October, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in response to the outbreak.
Kirsten Johnson, head of Wisconsin’s health department, described the infant’s death as a tragedy, particularly because measles is preventable through vaccination.
“The death of a child is always a tragedy – even more so when it is linked to a vaccine-preventable disease,” Johnson said. She urged residents to protect themselves and their families. The last measles-related death in Wisconsin was recorded in 1990.
Vaccine scepticism fuels resurgence
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. However, the disease has re-emerged in recent years, partly amid growing vaccine scepticism in sections of the population.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appointed by President Donald Trump, has long questioned the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Trump himself has also repeatedly suggested a link between vaccination and autism, despite medical research finding no evidence to support such a connection.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Typical symptoms include fever and a red skin rash, but the infection can also lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications, including encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
Although often regarded as a childhood illness, measles can also infect adults who have not been vaccinated.
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