Six weeks into 2026, the CDC has confirmed 910 measles cases. If the pace of transmission continues, this year could far outpace the 2,280 cases detected across the U.S. in 2025, as 2026’s total is already 40% of 2025’s.
Hospitals across the U.S. have increasingly faced exposure to measles during the monthslong outbreak traveling across the nation. In recent weeks, state and local health departments have listed hospitals in Oregon, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Utah and South Carolina as potential measles exposure sites.
As the contagious disease becomes less rare and local health officials report first-ever confirmed cases, healthcare facilities are rushing to educate their staff and refine policies as they brace for more outbreaks.
“As cases continued to spread in the U.S. and were reported in Nebraska, we knew it was only a matter of time before measles would be on our doorstep,” Kerry Kernen, health director of Lincoln-Lancaster County Health, said in a Jan. 28 news release about Lancaster County, Neb., confirming its first measles case since 1990.
The hardest-hit state is South Carolina with 616 cases confirmed by the CDC, as of Feb. 12. On Feb. 17, the state’s public health department reported 962 measles cases. The CDC’s count is sometimes lower than other reports because the agency only logs confirmed cases that U.S. jurisdictions share, while some jurisdictions report probable and confirmed measles cases.
A majority of the measles cases reported in South Carolina are among children and unvaccinated individuals, according to the state’s health department. Among the 950 cases, 246 are among children younger than 5 years old, and 611 are among the 5-17 age group. More than 880 are unvaccinated, 19 are partially vaccinated, 26 are vaccinated and 22 do not have a known vaccination status. These figures are comparable to the CDC’s national estimates.
While South Carolina leads the nation in measles case count, other states reporting dozens of cases include Utah — CDC reports 96, state reports 77 — and Florida — CDC reports 63, state reports 68.
As of Feb. 12, five new measles outbreaks have been reported across the country, according to the CDC. Ninety percent of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated, including 760 cases from outbreaks that began in 2025 and 62 from outbreaks in 2026.
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