US sees record-breaking measles surge amid controversy over anti-vaccine rhetoric and revised death tracking system.
Published On 29 Sep 2026
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed two measles-related deaths from the 3,659 confirmed cases this year, the highest number of cases in 35 years.
The CDC did not specify on Tuesday in which states the deaths occurred. However, Pennsylvania has been hardest hit by the outbreak with more than 900 reported cases.
The preventable disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000 but has made an aggressive comeback in recent years, which some have linked to a rise in vaccine scepticism.
Members of US President Donald Trump’s administration, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. and the president himself, have been criticised for promoting debunked claims linking vaccines to autism, among other misleading statements.
Deficiencies in fatality tracking triggered a public feud between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Kennedy after Pennsylvania reported four measles-related deaths this year, which the CDC did not include in its national tally. Kennedy has maintained that only one of the deaths was caused by measles.
The agency has faced significant staffing and budgetary turmoil after losing nearly 30 percent of its workforce due to sweeping federal employee layoffs following Trump’s January 2025 inauguration and a wave of voluntary retirements and resignations.
In August, Trump signed an executive order aimed at getting states to modify childhood vaccine recommendations by splitting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots and spacing out childhood appointments — a plan public health experts warned increases infection risks by requiring return visits. The order went into effect despite decades of global evidence proving combination vaccines are safe and effective.
A few weeks ago, the CDC shifted to using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for its national measles death count, moving away from rapid real-time reporting from state health departments — a move that has sparked intense pushback.
The federal agency has said it is working with state epidemiologists to develop a standard definition of measles-related deaths to ensure consistent reporting across jurisdictions, adding that the number of deaths is subject to change as additional information becomes available and reviews are completed.
