Most of us have never had to worry about measles. The name itself sounds rather medieval, and we’re happy to adopt a similar attitude toward the disease. It seems like something that plagues the history books, but has no bearing on our daily lives, yet you may have heard it discussed more often lately. So, what exactly is going on with measles in America?
What is measles?
Measles is an airborne virus spread by coughing and sneezing. It is highly contagious because the virus can stay active outside of a host for up to two hours, creating many opportunities to infect new hosts. Common symptoms include rashes, coughs and runny noses, but measles has the potential to develop into more severe complications, such as blindness, encephalitis, diarrhea, dehydration and even death. Treatment consists of supportive care, such as fluids and supplements to prevent vitamin A deficiency.
Despite this, no specific antiviral drugs are approved to ‘cure’ measles. To date, the most effective strategy against measles has been prevention-based vaccination programs, which, by exposing the immune system to a weakened version of the virus, prepare the individual to fight off actual measles infections strongly and quickly.
Young children and pregnant individuals are most at risk for measles, which is why the vaccine program emphasizes childhood vaccination. Children are usually vaccinated within or around the first year after birth, and again at between four and six years old. The measles vaccine is delivered either alone or in combination with the rubella and mumps vaccines (together called the “MMR vaccine”) and has been very effective in preventing transmission and slowing outbreaks.
The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000, yet it remains prevalent around the globe in low-resource countries with weaker healthcare infrastructure. Still, outbreak risk in the U.S. remains when infected travelers return from abroad.
What’s happening with the current outbreak?
According to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 2, the United States has recorded 3,887 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026, compared with 2,289 during all of 2025. Pennsylvania has experienced the country’s largest measles outbreak, with 1,078 cases as of Oct. 7. These cases tend to cluster in more insular religious communities that historically have had lower vaccination rates, whether because of misinformation or lack of outreach around the benefits of vaccination. Pennsylvania health authorities report that fewer than 1% of cases were in vaccinated individuals, with 31% of cases in individuals younger than 18 years old.
After the first two deaths, Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference where he accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current U.S. secretary of health and human services, of contributing to the outbreak by disseminating misinformation about the MMR vaccine. RFK Jr. has affirmed the MMR vaccine’s efficacy before the Senate and on social media, urging Americans to get vaccinated, though he has also repeatedly made misleading claims about vaccine safety.
As skepticism about vaccine safety has grown in recent years, childhood immunization rates have declined. Vaccine opponents, in particular, have found political refuge in the current administration as U.S. President Donald Trump himself perpetuates unsubstantiated claims about the connection between vaccination and autism. Recently, Trump also claimed the MMR vaccine could be “lethal” and would overwhelm a child’s body with fluids, and has signed an executive order recommending separate vaccines once they become available domestically. Experts warn that this advice is detached from evidence and may create logistical barriers that further decrease measles immunization rates.
Although the Pennsylvania Department of Health has recorded five deaths this year to date, the CDC’s official website acknowledges only two nationwide, with an asterisk saying it “will update its reporting as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed.” This has been an ongoing area of contention within the public health sphere.
The CDC also refused to add several cases reported by the Pennsylvania DOH to its count of deaths from measles, claiming that their relation to measles is unverified. RFK Jr. has also fired back on X (formerly Twitter), claiming Shapiro’s “giddy delight in announcing two measles deaths was ... fearmongering, misinformation, finger-pointing, and the weaponization of infectious disease fears for political gain”, adding that “the deaths may even have been altogether fabricated.”
Although initially resistant to federal intervention at the start of the outbreak, the Pennsylvania DOH has since begun requesting the CDC’s help and resources to manage the outbreak, on the condition that the CDC acknowledge the aforementioned deaths in its measles death reports. To date, the two parties have not come to a resolution. Pennsylvania has bolstered its vaccination programs and outreach, but cases are still increasing at an alarming rate.
The CDC has questioned whether measles contributed to some of the deaths Pennsylvania reported. The agency has also changed its reporting methodology, relying on verified death records rather than state health department reports to compile its national tally. Pennsylvania health officials, meanwhile, stand by their classification of the five deaths as measles-associated. In an interview with Atlanta News First, Dr. Erica Schwartz, the director of the CDC, says it is difficult to arbitrate what can actually be considered a “measles-related fatality.” She cites an example from the early COVID-19 pandemic: “If someone got hit by a bus, and they happened to have COVID, often that was called a COVID-related death.” The World Health Organization, however, states that “most deaths from measles are from complications related to the disease.”
As measles cases continue to rise, public health officials face the challenge of containing a disease that was declared eliminated in the United States more than 25 years ago. The outbreak shows once again how important immunization is in preventing the reemergence of a highly contagious but mostly preventable disease.
