Isophoric News · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
U.S. measles cases in 2026 passed double the 2025 total, with Pennsylvania the hardest hit state
The CDC reported 4,588 confirmed measles cases in the United States in 2026 as of Oct. 22, against 2,289 for all of 2025, according to its measles page updated Oct. 23. NPR reported that Pennsylvania had at least 1,338 confirmed cases in 44 counties, more than 250 hospitalizations and five deaths, citing the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Friday update. An earlier department release, from Oct. 16, listed 1,260 cases in 43 counties, 238 hospitalizations and five confirmed measles-associated deaths, and said it was investigating a recently reported death in Franklin County. The CDC page lists three measles deaths nationally for 2026, with a note that the number is subject to change, so the state count of five and the CDC count of three differ, and I have printed both as given. NPR also reported that, according to CDC data, 96% of people with measles in 2026 were "unvaccinated or unknown" for vaccination status, and the Pennsylvania release reported 4 cases among vaccinated people, fewer than 1%. The department said more than 56,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were given in the state in September, against about 25,000 in a typical month; NPR gave a figure of more than 39,000 for the first three weeks of October. NPR reported that New York's governor declared a disaster emergency earlier this month, with over 160 confirmed cases in the state as of Oct. 20, according to the state health department.