Ten people have died from measles-associated complications in the United States this year following new reports from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The latest fatalities include an infant in Wisconsin and an unvaccinated patient in Pennsylvania, according to reports from Al Jazeera and NBC News. These deaths bring the national toll to a grim milestone in an outbreak that has seen a record number of infections across the country.
The current crisis is large. More than 5,400 confirmed measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. so far in 2026, a figure that is more than double the 2,289 cases reported in 2025. This surge in infections is occurring alongside a sharp decline in vaccination coverage among American children.
“The virus, the most contagious known to humans, can lead to deadly complications, like pneumonia or swelling of the brain, in unvaccinated people,” NBC News reported.
Disputes over death toll classifications
A disagreement between federal and state officials has emerged regarding how these deaths are officially recorded. While state health departments have reported 10 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has maintained a lower national count of six deaths.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked CDC director Erica Schwartz not to include these deaths in the official federal tally, arguing there is no evidence they were directly caused by measles. This stance has sparked a dispute with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, particularly because Pennsylvania is currently the state hardest hit by the outbreak.
Pennsylvania officials classify a death as “measles-associated” if a person with confirmed measles dies within 30 days of developing symptoms, provided the death was not caused by an unrelated event. Epidemiologists told Al Jazeera that this specific method of tracking has long been a standard used by both the World Health Organization and the CDC.
The CDC is currently working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standardized definition for measles deaths to resolve the discrepancy.
The threat to elimination status
The United States is currently on the verge of losing its official measles elimination status. While the country was declared to have eliminated the virus in 2000—meaning it was no longer continuously spreading—the current outbreak threatens that designation. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is meeting this week to determine if the U.S. has maintained the required 12 months of zero transmission.
A decision from PAHO is expected to be announced this coming Tuesday. Canada lost its own elimination status last year after health agencies determined the virus had been spreading there for at least a year.
The resurgence is closely linked to declining immunity in the population. Vaccination rates among U.S. kindergarteners have dropped from 95.2 percent during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 percent in the 2025-2026 school year. According to an investigation by NBC News, 75 percent of counties and jurisdictions with available vaccine data currently fall below the 95 percent vaccination rate required to prevent outbreaks.
The impact is particularly acute for the youngest members of the community. At least four of the deaths recorded this year were infants who were too young to have received their first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. In response, health departments in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are now recommending an early dose for infants between 6 and 11 months of age who reside in high-case areas.
The standard vaccination schedule typically provides the first dose around a child’s first birthday, with a second dose administered between ages 4 and 6. When both doses are administered, the vaccine offers approximately 97 percent protection.
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