The number of measles cases in the US nears 3,700 — with a quarter in one state
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The growing number of measles cases across the U.S. this year is nearing 3,700, federal data shows, as an outbreak in Pennsylvania continues to surge.
There are now 3,659 confirmed cases this year, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That total includes new cases from Pennsylvania, where 129 cases have been reported over the past seven days, a dashboard from Pennsylvania’s health department shows, bringing the total to 890.
Possible measles exposures have been traced to the Philadelphia International Airport and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The updates come as the Trump administration and Pennsylvania leaders have sparred over measles-associated deaths — the first in the U.S. this year.
While the CDC only shows one death on its website, Pennsylvania has reported four measles-associated deaths.
The CDC says it will update data "as additional information becomes available and relevant reviews are completed."
The deaths include a 40-year-old woman with an active infection, an 18-year-old with a rare neurological complication from infection, and two infants, including a newborn with a spleen laceration.
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services did not comment on whether the agency has received any updated information that could change its current death count, but said the one reported death was verified by the National Center for Health Statistics.
“CDC is also working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) to develop a standardized case definition for deaths due to measles,” the department told The Independent in an email on Monday. “This work is intended to promote consistent classification and reporting of measles deaths across jurisdictions.”
HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the CDC would pull data for measles death counts in early September: a break from updating information about deaths after notifications from state officials.
Regardless of the deaths listed by the CDC, this year’s measles resurgence has been historic.
It’s been the most active year for measles since the 1990s, the American Medical Association notes, before the contagious virus was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.
There have been 40 outbreaks reported nationwide this year, with 95 percent of confirmed cases tied to outbreaks in 2025 or 2026.
The majority of cases – including all of the reported Pennsylvania deaths – have been reported in unvaccinated individuals.
Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine provide 97 percent protection against infection, but experts say vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have helped child vaccination rates fall.
Without it, infections spread easily after a person with measles coughs or sneezes.
The viral droplets they produce can linger in the air for up to two hours or contaminate surfaces.
Signs of infection include fever that may spike to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), a rash, a cough, a runny nose and red, watery eyes.
People with the disease begin to feel sick around a week or two after they come into contact with the virus.
