US Measles Cases Exceed 5,000 to Hit 35-Year High

WASHINGTON, Nov 6 (OPA) — A total of 5,182 confirmed cases of the highly contagious and vaccine-preventable disease have been reported nationwide in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The figure is more than double the 2,289 cases recorded throughout 2025 and represents the highest number reported by the agency since 1991. State health authorities have reported at least eight measles-related deaths, including among very young children, raising immediate alarms across the medical community.

Paediatric infectious disease specialist Adam Ratner told AFP that such fatalities were tragic and completely preventable. Ratner criticized US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-standing vaccine sceptic, for contributing to public distrust in health authorities. Ratner stated that Kennedy does not believe measles is a major problem and refuses to acknowledge related deaths, adding that the burden falls entirely on children.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, largely as a result of widespread vaccination programs. However, the disease has made a significant comeback in recent years, fuelled by declining vaccination rates and growing skepticism. Measles typically causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a characteristic skin rash, while severe cases can lead to pneumonia and inflammation of the brain.

Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, an estimated 400 to 500 people died from the disease every year in the United States, according to CDC data. Health officials warn that current downward trends in immunization coverage threaten to undo decades of public health progress if vaccination rates are not restored across vulnerable communities.