As of Jan. 29, the CDC has confirmed 588 measles cases across the U.S. In 2025, the agency recorded 2,267 confirmed cases, meaning 2026 could surpass last year’s measles count if the rate of infection continues.
The CDC reports confirmed cases that U.S. jurisdictions share with the agency, while some jurisdictions report probable measles cases. For example, the CDC reports 467 confirmed measles cases in South Carolina — the hardest hit state so far in 2026 — while state officials report 847 cases, as of Jan. 30.
The second largest measles outbreak in 2026 is in Utah, which the CDC reports has 53 confirmed cases, while the state health department similarly reported 54 residents with a measles diagnosis in the last three weeks.
An international panel of health officials is expected to decide in April whether the U.S. has lost the World Health Organization’s measles elimination status. If health officials determine continuous transmission for at least 12 months, the U.S. might lose the designation it has held since 2000.
Between 2021 and 2024, the annual counts of confirmed measles cases were significantly lower. In 2021, the CDC confirmed 49 cases; 2022, 121 cases; 2023, 59; and 2024, 285.
