US Measles Deaths Reach 10 as America Is Poised to Lose Its Measles-Free Status After 26 Years

admin · November 14, 2026 · 7 min read

Illustration of a measles vaccine vial and syringe with a stylized measles virus in the background

Measles-associated deaths in the United States reached 10 in 2026 after Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported another fatality on Friday, and the country now stands on the verge of losing the measles elimination status it has held since 2000. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that a Pan American Health Organization expert panel has decided the United States no longer qualifies for the status, although the organization itself has not yet announced the decision.

The two latest deaths, announced within hours of each other, pushed the state-reported toll into double figures in what is already the worst American measles outbreak in decades. Pennsylvania has now recorded seven measles-associated deaths, Wisconsin two and New York one, according to state health departments and reporting by Al Jazeera.

The two latest deaths

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services said on Friday that an infant had died — the second child to die in Wisconsin’s measles outbreak, and the first measles fatality in the state since 1990. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health said its latest victim was an unvaccinated resident of Montour County who had tested positive for measles.

Pennsylvania, the hardest-hit state, has logged 1,542 confirmed cases this year. Wisconsin has recorded 651 cases, with state officials saying more than 99 percent of them are in residents who are unvaccinated. In New York, a seven-month-old unvaccinated child died earlier this month, the state’s first measles fatality in three decades.

The federal count tells a different story. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists six measles-related deaths on its website, four fewer than the total reported by the states. The CDC has said its figure is subject to change and has consistently lagged behind individual state reports, because the agency and the states have not agreed on a single definition of a measles death.

Cases pass 5,400 in the worst outbreak in decades

The CDC’s weekly update on November 13 put the 2026 case total at 5,412, counted as of November 12. That was an increase of 230 cases in a week, the 14th consecutive week in which the weekly rise has topped 100. The outbreak had already passed 5,000 cases for the first time in 35 years earlier this month, and the total is now more than double the 2,289 cases recorded in all of 2025.

The outbreak has reached 46 states and Washington, D.C., according to the CDC. There have been 591 hospitalizations so far this year.

The scale of the resurgence is striking for a disease the United States once declared beaten. Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, and it spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

A status held since 2000 is about to fall

The United States has been certified as having eliminated measles since 2000, meaning the virus was no longer spreading continuously within its borders. Elimination is a formal designation: a country loses it when transmission is re-established and continues uninterrupted for at least 12 months.

That status is now expected to end. A Pan American Health Organization expert commission reviewed epidemiological and laboratory evidence submitted by the CDC during meetings from November 10 to 13. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the panel has concluded the United States has lost its elimination status.

The organization had not published the finding in its own name as of Friday night. The formal announcement is expected on Tuesday, November 17, according to NBC News and CIDRAP, a disease-tracking publication at the University of Minnesota. PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa makes the final decision on each country’s status and communicates it to the relevant authorities, a PAHO spokesperson said.

If confirmed, the United States would join Canada as the only PAHO country without elimination status.

A dispute over how deaths are counted

The gap between the federal and state death tolls has become a political dispute. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked CDC Director Erica Schwartz not to count the deaths in the official tally, saying there was no evidence they were measles-associated, Al Jazeera reported. The issue has put Kennedy at odds with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro over how measles deaths are classified.

Pennsylvania counts a death as measles-associated if a person with confirmed measles dies within 30 days of developing symptoms, unless the death resulted from an unrelated event. Epidemiologists told Al Jazeera that tracking “measles-associated” deaths has long been a standard used by the World Health Organization and the CDC. The CDC says it is working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardized definition for measles deaths.

A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said that whatever PAHO determines, the department’s mission does not change. “HHS and CDC will continue working to stop transmission, close vaccination gaps, strengthen outbreak response, and protect Americans from measles. Secretary Kennedy and CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz continue to recommend MMR vaccination as the most effective way to prevent measles,” the spokesperson said.

Why this matters

Losing elimination status is more than a symbolic blow. It is an official recognition that measles is once again spreading on its own inside the United States, after a quarter of a century in which every case could be traced to an imported infection. The change reflects falling childhood vaccination rates and the gaps they have left.

The burden has fallen hardest on the youngest and the unvaccinated. Two of this week’s deaths were children. Health officials say the MMR vaccine remains the most effective protection: according to the CDC, two doses are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles.

Latest developments

The formal PAHO announcement is expected on Tuesday, November 17. Until then, the panel’s reported finding remains unofficial, and the CDC’s weekly case and death totals will continue to be updated as states report new figures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many measles deaths has the US recorded in 2026?

State health departments have reported 10 measles-associated deaths in 2026: seven in Pennsylvania, two in Wisconsin and one in New York. The CDC’s official website records six, using a different definition, and its count lags behind state reports.

What does losing measles elimination status mean?

Elimination status means the virus is not spreading continuously within a country’s borders. A country loses the status when transmission is re-established and continues uninterrupted for at least 12 months. It means the disease is once again circulating on its own in the United States.

Why do the CDC and state death counts differ?

Pennsylvania counts a death as measles-associated if a person with confirmed measles dies within 30 days of developing symptoms, unless the death had an unrelated cause. The CDC has not adopted the same definition, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked the CDC director not to count the deaths in the official tally. The CDC says it is working with state epidemiologists to agree on a standardized definition.

How can people protect themselves from measles?

Health officials recommend the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. According to the CDC, two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles. The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services continue to recommend MMR vaccination as the most effective way to prevent the disease.

The United States is about to lose a public health milestone it held for 26 years, and the toll behind that loss is now in double figures. What is no longer in doubt is that measles, once declared eliminated in America, is back — and that the outbreak that brought it back is still growing.