MAP: States report new measles cases as virus surpasses alarming benchmark

(NEXSTAR) – Cyclospora isn’t the only public health crisis the U.S. is contending with in 2026. Measles, one of the world’s most contagious viruses, has now spread to 43 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

With months left in the year, the country has already surpassed the record-breaking number of measles cases we saw in all of 2025.

The CDC has confirmed 2,318 cases of measles across all but seven U.S. states. The nation had 2,289 cases in 2025, the worst year for measles in more than three decades. Now, 2026 has easily become the U.S.’s worst year for measles since 1991.

Early in the year, the biggest outbreak was easily in South Carolina. In the past few months, hundreds of measles cases have been confirmed in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

The only states without confirmed cases – at least as of Thursday – are Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire and West Virginia. But public health departments and disease researchers have long........

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