CDC tallies 4,588 US measles cases as Pennsylvania reports five deaths

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logged 178 new measles cases in the United States this week, raising the 2026 national total to 4,588. The agency identified at least 43 active outbreaks across the country as of Friday. This count is more than double the number of cases recorded in 2025. South Carolina and Utah also report large clusters, with each state logging more than 500 cases.

Pennsylvania remains the hardest hit state. Local health authorities reported 1,338 cases in the region on the same day. State officials have confirmed five deaths linked to the disease and are investigating a sixth. The federal tally, however, lists only three measles deaths nationwide. The CDC has not specified the location of the third death, creating a discrepancy between state and federal records.

Critics argue the federal numbers undercount the true scope of the illness. Measles is highly contagious, and common symptoms such as rash, fever, and cough often delay medical visits. Medical experts note that one in five unvaccinated infected individuals requires hospitalization. The disease causes death in one to three out of every 1,000 cases. The standard vaccine is 97% effective at preventing infection.

Tensions between state and federal health agencies have grown under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to Reuters, Kennedy asked senior CDC officials in September to remove a specific measles death from the official count. He questioned whether the virus contributed to that individual's death. This move has drawn scrutiny regarding the agency's transparency.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced changes to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, this week. The proposal allows doctors to bill for reporting suspected vaccine injuries. VAERS has long been used by researchers to track safety issues, though it is also a frequent source of misinformation for activists. Kennedy fired all 17 members of the expert panel that previously reviewed vaccine changes. He replaced them with ideologically aligned appointees, a move a court blocked in March.

The secretary has made several public statements about vaccine safety. He claimed children receive more than 90 vaccine doses and linked vaccines to autism, a connection extensive evidence has disproven. He directed the CDC to remove statements saying vaccines do not cause autism from its website. He also suggested the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine contains aborted fetal debris and promoted vitamin A and cod liver oil for treating measles. Leading physicians described the latter advice as misleading.

The next step in the process involves the implementation of the proposed billing changes for vaccine injury reports. State health departments will continue to publish their own weekly data, which may diverge from federal totals. The CDC will release its next official count in its regular weekly update.