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A medical tracker that monitors measles in the United States shows that the number of cases identified in 2026 has already exceeded last year’s total.

According to the Johns Hopkins University U.S. measles tracker, 2,295 measles cases have been identified across the country in 2026 so far. In all of 2025, 2,286 cases were counted, meaning that this year’s total has exceeded last year’s in just 204 days.

This year, the U.S. will see the highest number of measles cases diagnosed in decades. If the current pace continues, the country could see around 4,000 measles cases by December 31.

These numbers represent a stunning reversal of several years of improvements. Indeed, measles was once considered virtually eliminated in the U.S. following years of public vaccination campaigns. But starting in the early 2000s, anti-vax movements and right-wing disinformation started influencing more and more Americans to reject vaccine recommendations, including for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

“The best way to prevent contracting measles is through measles vaccination,” reads a statement on the Johns Hopkins tracker. “Having a high percentage of people fully vaccinated against measles is the best way to prevent outbreaks, and is also the best way to protect people who cannot get measles vaccines, such as babies or people with........

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