The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added a third death to its national measles count for 2026, as the country’s worst measles year in more than three decades keeps growing and Pennsylvania doctors are warned to look for a complication most of them have never seen: babies born with the virus.
The CDC added the death on Tuesday, Oct. 20, after the National Center for Health Statistics confirmed that measles was listed as the underlying cause on a death certificate. The agency did not say where the person died or give their age.
The federal tally is still lower than what states are reporting. Pennsylvania alone lists five measles deaths this year, and it is investigating a sixth.
How bad is the 2026 measles outbreak?
As of Oct. 15, the most recent weekly update, the CDC counted 4,410 confirmed measles cases in 2026. That was 330 more than a week earlier, an 8.1% jump, and nearly double the 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025. It is the highest annual count since 1991, when the U.S. recorded more than 9,600 cases.
Cases have been reported in 47 jurisdictions. The CDC counts 42 new outbreaks this year, and 96% of confirmed cases are linked to outbreaks. About 10% of patients, 451 people, have been hospitalized. The risk is highest for the youngest: 15% of children under 5 who caught measles ended up in the hospital, the CDC’s measles data show.
People under 20 make up 59% of cases, but adults are not spared. More than 1,700 cases this year have been in people 20 and older.
Why is Pennsylvania at the center of it?
Pennsylvania’s outbreak began in February with five cases in Lancaster County. It has since spread to 42 counties. As of Oct. 19, the state had confirmed 1,286 cases, 109 of them in the past week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The state’s dashboard lists five measles deaths. A sixth, a 39-year-old Franklin County woman with underlying health conditions, is still under review; the department said it will not label the death measles-associated until it meets all of the state’s criteria, including a positive lab test in the 30 days before death.
Pennsylvania has asked the CDC for help through its Epi-Aid program, and the agency is sending one of its Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, often called disease detectives. Other states are also busy. Ohio is up to 252 cases, Kentucky to 170, and New York, with 126, has declared a statewide health emergency.
What is congenital measles, and why are doctors being warned?
Congenital measles happens when a pregnant woman passes the virus to her baby in the womb or around birth. It was so rare in the U.S. that most doctors have never treated a case.
That is changing. Pennsylvania has reported 66 women who caught measles while pregnant this year, and at least six babies in the state have been born with measles. At least two of the six deaths in the state were infants, although officials have not said whether they had congenital infections.
A state health alert told doctors that the illness in newborns can range from no symptoms to the classic rash to severe, multi-organ disease and death. It urged women to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine before pregnancy, since the live-virus shot is not given once a woman is pregnant. An unvaccinated pregnant woman who is exposed has a six-day window to receive immune globulin, an antibody treatment that can help protect her.
Why do federal and state measles death counts differ?
The CDC now relies on death certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics, rather than state health department reports, to count measles deaths. That process takes longer and has left the national number trailing the states. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has accused the agency of playing political theater with the count.
The CDC says it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists on a standard definition of a measles death. The council has said that work will take about two to three months.
Experts also believe cases are undercounted. Measles historically kills one to three of every 1,000 people infected, so six deaths in Pennsylvania suggests far more infections than the 1,286 on the books. In close-knit communities, families often care for sick children at home, and those cases never reach a health department.
What should families do now?
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles, and the CDC recommends the first dose at 12 to 15 months and the second at 4 to 6 years. Adults who are unsure of their status can ask a doctor for a blood test or simply get another dose; an extra dose is not harmful.
Anyone with a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes followed by a rash should call a doctor’s office or emergency room before showing up, so staff can keep others from being exposed. For background on recent changes to the shot schedule, see our report on the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule overhaul.
Key takeaways
- The CDC added a third measles-related death to its 2026 count on Oct. 20, after death-certificate confirmation.
- The U.S. had 4,410 confirmed cases as of Oct. 15, up 8.1% in a week and the most since 1991.
- Pennsylvania has 1,286 cases in 42 counties, five confirmed deaths and a sixth under review.
- Pennsylvania reports 66 measles infections in pregnant women and at least six babies born with measles, and is urging MMR vaccination before pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
How many measles deaths has the U.S. had in 2026?
The CDC’s national count lists three measles-related deaths as of Oct. 20, 2026. States report more; Pennsylvania alone lists five, with a sixth under investigation.
How many measles cases are there in the U.S. in 2026?
The CDC counted 4,410 confirmed cases as of Oct. 15, 2026, in 47 jurisdictions. That is nearly double the 2,289 cases reported in all of 2025.
What is congenital measles?
It is measles passed from a pregnant woman to her baby before or around birth. Symptoms in newborns range from none at all to a rash to severe illness and death.
Can pregnant women get the MMR vaccine?
No. The MMR vaccine contains live virus and is not given during pregnancy. Health officials urge women to be vaccinated before they become pregnant. An unvaccinated pregnant woman exposed to measles should call her doctor right away about immune globulin, which must be given within six days.
