The United States is in the middle of its worst measles year since 1991, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming 4,080 cases nationwide as of October 8 — up 193 in a single week and already 78% above the full-year 2025 total of 2,289. The milestone has prompted New York Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a statewide disaster emergency, the first such move by a U.S. state since the current surge began.
The CDC count spans 47 jurisdictions plus 18 cases among international visitors, and 42 new outbreaks have been reported this year, on top of outbreaks still running from 2025. Ninety-six percent of 2026 cases are tied to an outbreak. Hospitalizations stand at 414, about 10% of all cases, with the highest hospitalization rate — 15% — among children under 5. The CDC has confirmed two measles deaths this year, though it says that figure is subject to revision; Pennsylvania health officials have separately reported five deaths linked to an outbreak centered in Lancaster County. The agency says 95% of this year's cases occurred in people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
A disaster declaration in New York
New York's outbreak has been concentrated in under-immunized rural communities across 18 counties, with 108 cases confirmed through October 3, 92 of them since mid-July. On October 5, Hochul signed an emergency order that runs through November 4 and temporarily expands who can administer measles vaccines and order diagnostic tests, among other measures.
After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, press release
"No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease," Hochul said in the same statement. New York's case count is still well below Pennsylvania's larger outbreak, but officials say the statewide step reflects how quickly clusters can spread in communities with gaps in MMR coverage.
Public health researchers point to slipping vaccination rates as the common thread. National kindergarten MMR coverage fell from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026 — below the roughly 95% threshold generally considered necessary for community immunity — leaving an estimated 280,000 kindergartners without protection, according to CDC surveillance data reported by Contagion Live.
The CDC cautions that its tally includes only confirmed cases reported by jurisdictions, so the true count, which excludes probable cases, may run higher; it is also working with state epidemiologists on a standardized definition for measles-associated deaths after a recent change in how it sources mortality data. The Pan American Health Organization is scheduled to review the United States' measles elimination status — a designation the country has held since 2000 — at its annual meeting in November.
