CDC Confirms Third Measles Death of 2026 as U.S. Cases Reach 4,410
The CDC said Tuesday it has confirmed a third measles-related death this year, matching the previous year's total, as confirmed cases climbed to 4,410 nationwide in the worst U.S. outbreak in decades.
The United States has recorded a third measles-related death this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday, as the country confronts its worst measles outbreak in decades.
The agency is now reporting 4,410 confirmed cases nationwide as of Oct. 15. The CDC had reported two measles-related deaths in September, and the new total matches the three deaths recorded in 2025.
The Department of Health and Human Services told Reuters that the National Center for Health Statistics received a report of a measles-related death and verified that the disease was the underlying cause. The CDC did not name the states where the deaths occurred.
Federal tally lags state counts
The federal death toll remains lower than figures reported by local health authorities. Pennsylvania has recorded five confirmed measles-associated deaths as of Oct. 19, all in unvaccinated individuals, according to local figures cited by Reuters.
The gap follows a policy shift under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the CDC now tracking measles deaths through National Center for Health Statistics mortality data instead of relying on state health departments’ figures.
Pennsylvania has been hit hardest by the resurgence, with 1,286 confirmed cases. The CDC agreed last week to send additional support to the state to help investigate the outbreak, and officials are reviewing another death reported by the Franklin County coroner.
In neighboring New York, the state health department reported 162 measles cases as of Oct. 17. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency earlier this month and said she would seek federal help.
Worst outbreak in decades
“We should not have any measles deaths in the United States,” William Moss, an epidemiology professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told Reuters. He said the disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 and called for stronger federal efforts to raise vaccination in vulnerable communities and counter misinformation.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can be prevented with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is about 97% effective after two doses, according to the CDC.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.
