# US records 2,170 measles cases in 2026 and is expected to lose its elimination status at a November PAHO review > As of July 2, 2026, the United States had confirmed 2,170 measles cases across 41 states and 31 outbreaks, more than in any year since elimination was declared in 2000; a PAHO assessment scheduled for November 2026 is widely expected to formally strip the US of the status Canada lost in 2025, following 3 deaths and South Carolina's 847-case outbreak surpassing Texas in 16 weeks **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-02 · heads: What Broke, How Life Changes · 9 takes · 6 lenses · 2 regions ## Summary The United States confirmed 2,170 measles cases in 2026 as of July 2, across 41 states and 31 outbreaks, the highest annual total since measles elimination was declared in 2000. Three people have died in the combined 2025-2026 outbreak, the first US measles deaths since 2015. South Carolina's outbreak reached 847 cases, surpassing Texas in 16 weeks rather than the seven months Texas needed to reach its total. About 92% of confirmed 2026 cases involved unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status. The Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to formally assess the US's measles elimination status in November 2026, and epidemiologists and CIDRAP widely expect the assessment will confirm the US has lost the designation, following Canada in 2025. In Europe, WHO confirmed in January 2026 that six countries, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan, had already lost elimination status based on 2024 data, and measles is now considered endemic in 13 European countries. ## The split US public health authorities and CDC attributed the outbreak to falling vaccination rates, pointing to county-level data showing measles-mumps-rubella coverage below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity in hundreds of US school districts. Vaccine hesitancy advocates and some elected officials at the state level publicly questioned the severity of the outbreak or disputed the public health consensus on vaccination, contributing to the policy environment in which coverage dropped. International public health observers compared the US situation to the European outbreak cycle of 2018-2020 and cautioned that once chains of transmission become entrenched in low-coverage communities, restoration of herd immunity takes years of sustained catch-up vaccination. ## By the numbers - 2,170 confirmed measles cases in the US as of July 2, 2026 (41 states, 31 outbreaks) - 3 deaths: 2 unvaccinated children in Texas, 1 unvaccinated adult in New Mexico (first since 2015) - 847 cases: South Carolina's outbreak total, the largest single-state outbreak of the combined period - 92% of confirmed 2026 cases: unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status - November 2026: scheduled PAHO measles elimination status assessment for the US - 6 European countries lost elimination status January 2026: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, UK, Uzbekistan - 13 European countries where measles is now considered endemic ## Why it matters The US losing measles elimination status would be the highest-profile reversal of a public health milestone in a wealthy country in the modern vaccine era, and would join a widening global pattern of [Measles](/en/entity/measles) resurgence driven by vaccination coverage decline. For global health financing, the US case reinforces arguments made since 2024 that vaccine hesitancy is no longer a problem confined to lower-income settings with limited health system reach. The loss of elimination status also has practical consequences: countries that maintain elimination status carry lower screening requirements for international travelers arriving from them. ## What to watch - PAHO's November 2026 formal assessment of US elimination status - Whether South Carolina's outbreak continues to grow beyond 847 cases - Federal and state vaccination catch-up campaign rollout and uptake data - Whether any of the 13 European endemic countries launches large-scale measles vaccination campaigns before the next outbreak cycle ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### US federal public health primary source; authoritative weekly case counts by state and outbreak - **CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks** (United States, en) — CDC confirmed 2,170 measles cases in the United States as of July 2, 2026, across 41 states and 31 outbreaks. Approximately 93% of 2026 cases are outbreak-associated. The agency reported three deaths linked to the combined 2025-2026 outbreak: two unvaccinated children in Texas and one unvaccinated adult in New Mexico, the first measles deaths in the US since 2015. About 92% of confirmed 2026 cases involved unvaccinated people or those with unknown vaccination status. > "US confirms 2,170 measles cases across 41 states and 31 outbreaks as of July 2, 2026; 3 deaths since outbreak began." Source: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html ### Infectious disease epidemiology research center; analysis of elimination status criteria and PAHO assessment timeline - **CIDRAP (University of Minnesota)** (United States, en) — CIDRAP analysis warned that the US is 'highly likely' to lose its measles elimination status at the Pan American Health Organization's fall 2026 assessment, noting that the scale and duration of the outbreaks have clearly exceeded the threshold for what counts as continuous chains of transmission. The assessment is scheduled for November 2026. Canada lost its elimination status in 2025. > "US 'highly likely' to lose measles elimination status at November 2026 PAHO assessment after chains of transmission exceed the elimination threshold." Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/us-highly-likely-lose-measles-elimination-status-fall-analysis-warns ### US public broadcaster; covered the South Carolina outbreak surge that surpassed Texas and the elimination status implications - **NPR** (United States, en) — NPR reported that South Carolina's outbreak reached 847 cases, surpassing the earlier Texas outbreak in just 16 weeks while Texas cases grew over seven months. The NPR analysis detailed the chain of transmission criteria under which PAHO would remove the US's elimination designation and noted that the clock on that assessment had started with the initial Texas outbreak in January 2025. > "South Carolina's measles outbreak surpassed Texas in 16 weeks; the US is on the brink of losing the elimination status it held since 2000." Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5694681/measles-elimination-status-south-carolina-texas-outbreak ### European broadcaster; covered the parallel situation where six European countries lost elimination status in January 2026 - **Euronews / WHO Europe** (Europe, en) — Euronews reported that six countries in the WHO European region, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan, formally lost their measles elimination status in January 2026 based on 2024 case data. The report contextualised the European losses alongside the US trajectory, noting that measles is now considered endemic in 13 countries including France, Germany, and Italy. > "Six European countries lose measles elimination status in January 2026: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the UK, and Uzbekistan." Source: https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/01/27/six-european-countries-lose-measles-free-status-as-cases-surge-across-the-continent ### US news tracker; detailed state-by-state outbreak tracking with case counts and timelines - **US News / USAFacts** (United States, en) — US News tracked 2,104 confirmed cases across 41 states and 30 outbreaks as of a mid-June count, with South Carolina and Texas the largest outbreak states, and noted the CDC's warning that vaccination coverage had fallen below herd immunity thresholds in numerous counties. > "2,104 US measles cases confirmed across 41 states as of mid-June 2026, with herd immunity gaps in numerous counties." Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/tracking-the-2026-u-s-measles-outbreaks ### unlabelled - **Medical Daily** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.medicaldaily.com/measles-2026-2104-cases-30-outbreaks-us-elimination-status-475744 - **Healthline** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/us-measles-outbreak-2026 - **NBC News** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-spread-year-elimination-status-rcna255008 - **WHO Europe (measles cases drop in 2025)** (Europe, en) — Source: https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/11-02-2026-measles-cases-dropped-in-europe-and-central-asia-in-2025-compared-to-the-previous-year--but-the-risk-of-outbreaks-remains---unicef-and-who ## Across the graph - Entities: Measles --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/measles-us-2026