Key Takeaways
- National: The CDC counted 4,852 confirmed U.S. measles cases in 2026 as of Oct. 29, more than double the 2,289 reported in all of 2025.
- Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,426 cases in 44 counties on Oct. 30, 2026, with 268 hospitalizations and five deaths.
- Kentucky: Kentucky health officials said on Oct. 29 that more than 200 cases have been identified, mostly in close-knit, under-vaccinated communities.
The CDC counted 4,852 confirmed measles cases in the United States in 2026 as of Oct. 29, more than double the 2,289 for all of 2025. Pennsylvania reported 1,426 measles cases in 44 counties on Oct. 30, including 268 hospitalizations and five deaths, and Kentucky said more than 200 cases have been identified there.
Pennsylvania Measles Outbreak: 1,426 Cases, 268 Hospitalizations and 5 Deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 28 new cases from Oct. 28 to its Oct. 30 update, bringing the total to 1,426 across 44 counties, according to the department. Only four cases, less than 1%, were among vaccinated people. State data showed 1,286 cases on Oct. 19 and 1,338 on Oct. 23, Medical Daily reports, so the outbreak added 140 cases in 11 days, by WYDE's arithmetic.
About 35% of this year's cases are in Lancaster County, followed by Mifflin County, Medical Daily reports. Lancaster County's kindergarten MMR rate is 88%, compared with 93.2% statewide, according to the Associated Press, and about 45,000 Amish and 6,000 Old Order Mennonites live in and around the county, and vaccination attitudes vary widely among them. "There's nothing in Amish theology or historic documents that you can find that specifically addresses or is opposed to immunization," Steve Nolt, director of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, told the AP.
About 300 department staff, including 60 disease detectives, are working on the outbreak, and a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer has been on site since Oct. 16, the department said. State health center staff have given more than 6,800 MMR vaccinations at 237 pop-up clinics since the outbreak began in late April. Pennsylvania providers gave more than 56,000 MMR doses in September, compared with about 25,000 in a typical month.
Kentucky Measles Outbreak Passes 200 Cases
Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services said on Oct. 29, 2026, that more than 200 cases have been identified, primarily among close-knit, under-vaccinated communities in several counties, according to its measles page. WKYT reported on Nov. 2 that it is the state's largest measles outbreak in 35 years.
U.S. Measles Cases in 2026 Compared With 2025 and 2024
Of the CDC's 4,852 cases, 96% (4,666) are outbreak-associated, and 43 new outbreaks have been reported in 2026, according to the CDC. That compares with 2,289 cases and 48 outbreaks in all of 2025, and 285 cases in 2024. By WYDE's arithmetic, 2026's count is 2.1 times 2025's and 17 times 2024's, and Pennsylvania's 1,426 cases, reported a day after the CDC's count, equal about 29% of the national total.
The CDC says kindergarten MMR vaccination coverage fell from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026, below the 95% level at which most people in a community are protected, leaving about 280,000 kindergartners at risk. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. Pennsylvania's five deaths among 1,426 cases work out to about 3.5 per 1,000, by WYDE's arithmetic, while the state health department says measles deaths occur in one to three patients per 1,000 cases. Earlier WYDE coverage: Trump's executive order to cut childhood vaccine recommendations and split the MMR shot.
People Also Ask
How many measles cases are there in the U.S. in 2026?
The CDC counted 4,852 confirmed measles cases in the United States in 2026 as of Oct. 29, more than double the 2,289 measles cases reported in all of 2025. The CDC says 96% of 2026 measles cases are linked to outbreaks.
How big is the Pennsylvania measles outbreak?
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,426 measles cases in 44 counties as of Oct. 30, 2026, with 268 hospitalizations and five measles-associated deaths. About 35% of Pennsylvania's measles cases are in Lancaster County, Medical Daily reports.
How effective is the MMR vaccine against measles?
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, and one dose is 93% effective, according to the CDC. In Pennsylvania's measles outbreak, only four of 1,426 cases were among vaccinated people.
Sources: CDC, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Medical Daily, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, WKYT.