The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that measles cases in the country have risen to 5,412 as of November 12, up by 230 from the previous update, as the country battles its worst outbreak of the viral infection in decades.
Measles-related hospitalizations this year stand at 591, according to the CDC, which has confirmed six measles-associated deaths so far in 2026, though it does not specify the states where the deaths were recorded.
Pennsylvania remains the hardest-hit state. Its state health department has reported 1,505 measles cases as of November 9, with 290 hospitalizations and six measles-related deaths so far in 2026.
Measles cases in the United States have climbed above 5,000 for the first time since 1991. The Pan American Health Organization's expert commission is expected to decide in the coming days whether the country should retain its measles-free status.
"The fact that there have been six deaths amidst an outbreak that has affected over 5,000 Americans for an entirely preventable disease is a travesty of our public health system," said Dr. Thomas Lew, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
