The United States has recorded its highest number of measles infections in 35 years, with more than 5,000 confirmed cases reported across the country in 2026.
According to figures released on Friday by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s leading public health agency, 5,182 cases of the highly contagious but preventable disease have been confirmed so far this year.
The figure represents a significant increase from the 2,289 cases recorded throughout 2025 and is the highest annual total reported by the CDC since 1991.
At least eight people have died from measles-related complications this year, according to state health officials, with very young children among the victims.
Measles was declared eradicated in the US in 2000 following widespread vaccination efforts.
However, the disease has resurged in recent years amid declining vaccination rates and growing public distrust of health authorities.
US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., appointed under President Donald Trump, has faced criticism over his role in fuelling vaccine scepticism.
Kennedy, known for his opposition to vaccines, has repeatedly spread misinformation about the measles vaccine and played down the risks associated with the disease.
Measles typically causes fever, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes, but can also lead to severe complications, including pneumonia and inflammation of the brain.
Such complications can result in lasting health problems or death.
Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in the early 1960s, the disease killed hundreds of children annually in the US.
Globally, it continues to cause tens of thousands of deaths each year.
