Measles Death Toll Rises: US Confirms Third Fatality of 2026

The measles death toll in the United States rose on Tuesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a third person has died due to measles this year. The update appeared on the agency's website as the country battles the largest measles outbreak in decades, with 4,410 confirmed cases recorded as of October 15, according to the agency.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, told Reuters that the National Center for Health Statistics had received another report of a measles-related death and verified that the disease was the underlying cause. The agency has not disclosed the states where the deaths occurred. It had reported the first fatalities linked to the once-eliminated disease in September.

Pennsylvania hit hardest

Pennsylvania remains the state hit hardest by the resurgence. Local health authorities there have reported at least five deaths linked to the disease this year, and state officials are also reviewing an additional death reported by the Franklin County coroner. Pennsylvania has recorded 1,286 cases as of October 19.

Last week, the CDC said it would deploy additional support to Pennsylvania to help investigate the outbreak after the state formally asked for federal aid through the agency's Epi-Aid emergency response program.

A new way of counting deaths

Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC has drawn scrutiny for switching to mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics to track measles deaths. That replaced its earlier reliance on figures from state health departments.

The CDC has said its death count could change as reviews are completed. The federal tally remains lower than the numbers reported by state officials, and the agency has not said when the reviews will conclude.

Why measles spreads so fast

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. According to the World Health Organization, one infected person can generate up to 18 secondary infections, and the virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours. An infected person can spread it starting four days before the rash appears and stays contagious for several days afterward.

Symptoms usually begin seven to fourteen days after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a rash that spreads over the body. Most deaths come from complications, including blindness, brain swelling known as encephalitis, and severe breathing problems such as pneumonia. There is no specific treatment for measles; care focuses on relieving symptoms and preventing complications.

The vaccine that prevents it

Measles can be prevented with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which is about 97% effective after the full course, the CDC says. The World Health Organization calls community-wide vaccination the most effective way to prevent the disease and says every child should complete the full vaccine course to ensure immunity.

Vaccination has averted nearly 59 million measles deaths worldwide over the past quarter century, according to the WHO. Even so, an estimated ninety-five thousand people died from measles in 2024, mostly unvaccinated or under-vaccinated young children.

Coverage is slipping. The share of children receiving a first dose of measles vaccine was 84% in 2025, slightly below the 2019 level of 86%, the WHO reports. About 29 million infants remained under-protected against measles in 2025, according to WHO and UNICEF estimates. The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has concluded that measles elimination is under threat as the disease resurged in numerous countries that had achieved, or were close to achieving, elimination.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. The WHO warns that without sustained attention, hard-fought gains can easily be lost: where children are unvaccinated, outbreaks occur.

Also on the health beat this week: the first new Tourette drug in a decade is nearing an FDA decision, and a look at why the 'healthy' labels on groceries can mislead.

What comes next

The CDC has not said when its reviews of the death count will conclude. In the meantime, the federal investigators heading to Pennsylvania will work with state officials on the outbreak response through the agency's Epi-Aid program, and case counts continue to climb toward levels the country has not seen in decades.