Headline Roundup • July 23rd, 2026
US Reports Highest Number of Measles Cases in 35 Years, Risks Losing Elimination Status
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The US reported 2,295 cases of measles in 2026, surpassing last year's record high and reaching the highest number of cases in 35 years. This story was more widely covered by the left and center than the right, though coverage AllSides found from across the political spectrum emphasized the danger to public health and the importance of increasing vaccination rates.
The Details: Johns Hopkins University tracked measles cases through state and county health departments along with other resources, putting its information ahead of reports from the CDC, according to Washington Post (Lean Left bias). Washington Post also wrote that this record high "underscores how the country has entered a new phase in its battle with measles," as outbreaks are spreading wider and sustaining longer in multiple states rather than being concentrated in a few small undervaccinated communities.
Key Quotes: Epidemiologist Dr. Syra Madad told New York Post (Lean Right), "This is a major public health warning sign… Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but elimination is not a permanent trophy. It has to be protected through consistently high vaccination coverage, fast outbreak detection and strong local public health response."
For Context: NewsNation (Center) reported that the elimination status for the US is "under question" because measles transmission has persisted for more than one year. It also noted that Canada lost its elimination status in 2025 and that both the US and Mexico are scheduled to review their elimination status soon.
Vaccination Rates: Washington Post noted that vaccination rates have been declining for years, noting that because 30% of recent measles cases have been reported in adults, the outbreaks suggest that "groups of people were unvaccinated across generations and not just recently amid the political spotlight on vaccine hesitancy." Washington Post also highlighted that because measles cases have been so rare for the past 30 years or so, "a generation of doctors is getting a crash course in diagnosing and managing a disease many have rarely — if ever — encountered."
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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Less than seven months into 2026, the United States has already reached a 35-year high for annual measles cases.
As of Tuesday, there are 2,295 confirmed cases across the country, according to Johns Hopkins University's US measles tracker — which has published the more up-to-date data than the CDC.
That surpasses 2025's record-breaking total of 2,289 for the entire year — a number that had been startling because it was the highest since a 1991 outbreak that infected 9,500.
The United States has now reported the most measles cases in any year since 1991, not only surpassing all of last year's record total, but also reaching the highest level in 35 years, with more than five months still remaining in 2026.
The country reported 2,295 cases as of Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University's U.S. measles tracker. The total surpasses last year's 2,289 cases and is the highest annual count since the highly contagious disease was eliminated in the United States in 2000.
The number of measles cases in the U.S. this year has surpassed last year's annual total, hitting the highest number of cases recorded in more than three decades, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Per Johns Hopkins University's measles tracker, there have been 2,295 recorded measles cases this year, just surpassing 2025's total of 2,289.
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