Measles surge: CDC logs 178 new cases as total hits 4,588
Pennsylvania reports 1,338 cases, but federal and state death counts continue to diverge.
By Alexander Novak ·
Federal health officials counted 178 new measles cases in the United States this week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the national total for 2026 reached 4,588 cases as of Friday. That figure is more than double the count recorded for the entire year of 2025.
The illness is active in at least 43 separate outbreaks. Pennsylvania remains the hardest hit state, with 1,338 cases reported on the same day. South Carolina and Utah also face large clusters, with each state reporting more than 500 cases.
Experts argue these official numbers likely undercount the disease. Measles is highly contagious, and symptoms like rash, fever, cough, and runny nose often do not prompt immediate medical visits. The disease sends one in five unvaccinated infected people to the hospital. It causes death in one to three out of every 1,000 infected individuals. The vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the illness.
A discrepancy exists between state and federal death tallies. Pennsylvania authorities reported five measles-associated deaths and are investigating a sixth. The CDC has reported only three measles deaths nationally. The agency has not specified the location of the third death, leaving it unclear if that fatality is included in the Pennsylvania count.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly asked senior CDC officials in September to remove a measles death from the official tally. He questioned whether the disease contributed to that specific death. This move occurred alongside new HHS changes to vaccine injury reporting systems. A recent proposal allows doctors to bill for reporting suspected vaccine injuries.
These reporting changes touch the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. While researchers use VAERS to track rare safety issues, activists often cite it to support claims about vaccine risks. Kennedy previously fired all 17 members of an expert panel that reviewed vaccine changes. He replaced them with aligned members, a move a court blocked in March.
Source: The Guardian
