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Pennsylvania is investigating a potential sixth measles-associated death in the state. To date, there have been more measles deaths and cases in the US this year than any year since 1991. The US reported 279 new cases of measles in the past week, up from the 237 cases reported a week earlier. This week was the fourth in a row that the US has reported more than 200 measles cases, and it constitutes the highest number of new cases reported in a week in 2025 or 2026. There have been 4,691 measles cases in the US thus far in 2026.

The Full Story

10/15/26 — The US reported 279 measles cases in the past week, the largest number of cases the US has reported in a week in 2025 or 2026. So far, in 2026, the US has reported the most measles-associated deaths (possibly six) and the largest number of measles cases (4,691) in a single year since 1991*. The Pennsylvania Department of Health is investigating a possible sixth measles-associated death in a 39-year-old. Pennsylvania recorded 144 new cases of measles, and Kentucky reported a 74% increase in total cases in 2026.

*The measles data we report are tallied by the date they were reported by the health department (as opposed to other organizations, which tally cases by rash onset date). All data are procured from state health department websites.

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Counts include confirmed and probable cases.
Data are updated weekly on Thursdays or in coordination with the Pandemic Center Tracking Report release.
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We collect data from state health department websites that usually report by MMWR week. However, the day of the week these data are released differs by state. These numbers also may change over time as cases are backdated. Our totals reflect the most recent data available from the state health department website at the time of newsletter publication.

Pennsylvania’s latest possible sixth measles-associated death: a 39-year-old woman in Franklin County who had underlying conditions and was reported to have had treatment for measles. The cause of death was reported to be a cardiac event caused by a measles infection and was determined to meet the criteria for a measles-associated death according to the coroner. The Department of Health is currently investigating the death and has not listed it on its measles dashboard as of October 15. All six deaths reported in the state, ages ranging from infants to people around 40 years old, were unvaccinated. The state reported 144 new cases over the past week, bringing its total to 1,222 cases. The majority of its measles cases have been in Lancaster County (443) in southeast Pennsylvania, but cases are increasing in Central Pennsylvania, particularly Mifflin County (183 cases). The hospitalization rate for the state’s 2026 cases is more than 18% — almost double the national measles hospitalization rate for 2026, which is currently 10%. The number of deaths in Pennsylvania is also higher than what is typically expected by the CDC for an outbreak of measles in the US, which is one to three deaths per 1,000 cases. Pennsylvania has potentially six deaths per 1,000 cases. It has not been reported why this is higher than usual. Possible reasons could be that those with severe illness are seeking healthcare too late, or that there could be many more measles cases going unreported. Aid from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was deployed on October 13 to Pennsylvania to help contain the outbreak. States can request an Epi-Aid from the CDC to help with the technical capacity and workforce to address an ongoing outbreak. Other states have requested Epi-Aids for measles outbreaks in the past year, including Texas, South Carolina, and Virginia.

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Kentucky recorded the highest percentage change over the past week with a 74% increase in measles cases. Kentucky reported 71 new measles cases since October 8, bringing the state total to 167 in 2026. Many of the new cases were reported in Laurel County, which now has the most cases in the state with 56 infections. The investigation into the cases in Laurel County found that multiple households had ongoing measles infections since August, but were not reported until recently. Those who had measles have had limited contact with the broader Laurel community, so there are no reported possible exposures to the public. CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) reported new detections of measles in wastewater in Hart and Graves Counties, Kentucky.

Ohio had an increase of 22 measles cases in the past week, bringing the 2026 total to 228 cases. Of those, 186 have been reported since August 1. The state has seen an increase in cases, particularly in the northeast region. Wisconsin has seen an increase in cases mostly in the southwest region and has recorded nine new cases this week for a total of 267 cases in the state. A majority of cases are in the southwest region of the state, including Lafayette County, Grant County, and Iowa County, where vaccination rates for children under five are between 78% and 82% — well below the 95% needed for herd immunity. 

According to WastewaterSCAN, measles was newly detected in wastewater in the US this week in Stamford, Connecticut (October 5, 7, and 9). Connecticut has had three cases so far in 2026, with the last reported case detected in August. Utah reported measles detections in wastewater samples taken on October 6 in Utah County. The state of Utah has reported 724 total cases in 2025 and 2026. The Oregon Respiratory Viral Pathogen Wastewater Monitoring Dashboard shows that measles was detected in Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Tillamook, Lincoln, Benton, Lane, Douglas, and Jackson Counties for the week of October 10. Oregon has reported 60 measles cases this year, compared to one case in the state last year. While CDC’s NWSS includes more sites than WastewaterSCAN, it captures data only up through October 3. NWSS reported wastewater detections of measles in Hamilton County, Indiana, Muscatine County, Iowa, and Utah County, Utah, aligning with current detections of clinical cases and wastewater detections covered in last week’s report. NWSS also reported new detections of measles in wastewater in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Lake Counties, in California.

Global Measles Outbreaks

This is a snapshot of notable measles updates, not an exhaustive list of all countries currently experiencing outbreaks.

• Brazil: Brazil has recorded a total of 52 measles cases so far this year, more than the 36 total cases recorded in 2025. Brazil lost its elimination status for measles in 2019, when the country recorded more than 20,000 cases, but regained its elimination status in 2024.

• Peru: Peru has recorded more than 2,000 cases of measles so far in 2026, and, according to PAHO, it is at a very high risk of spread due to upcoming religious events, like the Procession of the Lord of Miracles and Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Visit, taking place over the next few weeks. Argentina and Uruguay are also at very high risk according to PAHO, but have recorded one and two cases, respectively, so far this year, which is significantly lower than the 2,553 cases and one death in Peru.