Measles, one of the most contagious viruses in the world, is regularly infecting people in the U.S. again.
Measles case counts reached a 34-year high last year, and a surge in weekly counts shows the virus is continuing to spread this year. In the first week of the new year, 2 new cases were reported.
NBC News is continuing to track confirmed measles cases across the United States in 2026 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The map below will be updated regularly to show year-to-date new measles case counts reported in each state and Washington, D.C.
The disease epicenter is now in South Carolina, with more than 500 people in quarantine and hundreds infected in the latest outbreak, as of Jan. 27.
Measles infection counts skyrocketed last year with 2,255 confirmed cases, the most reported since 1991. This comes despite the virus being marked as being “eliminated” in the U.S. — a designation meaning it is no longer constantly circulating — in 2000. The U.S. is in danger of losing that status following a year of continuous spread of the disease.
Three people, including two young girls, died in the U.S. from measles last year.
The major outbreaks last year began with West Texas in February. In October, a measles outbreak occurred along the Utah and Arizona border. In all, the CDC recorded 49 measles outbreaks last year, up from 16 in 2024.
Childhood vaccination rates have been backsliding, leaving communities vulnerable to this deadly disease.
The measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, marking a turning point for the contagious disease, which used to infect hundreds of thousands and kill thousands in the country every year.
