U.S. Measles Outbreak Kills Six, Puts Elimination Status at Risk
WHO:
The Guardian - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles-related deaths in its official count; it did not identify the states associated with those deaths.
The Guardian - U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversees the CDC; CDC director Erica Schwartz was reportedly asked by Kennedy not to include two Pennsylvania deaths in the official tally.
The Guardian - Reuters reported Kennedy’s request and reported that the CDC changed its measles-death data source the day after that report.
ABC News - At least eight state-reported measles deaths were recorded, including six in Pennsylvania, one in New York and one in Wisconsin; most were among unvaccinated people or people too young to be vaccinated.
ABC News - President Donald Trump signed an executive order concerning the MMR vaccine; major medical groups opposed the order.
ABC News - Scientists John F. Enders and Dr. Thomas C. Peebles worked to isolate the measles virus; Peebles isolated a sample from 11-year-old David Edmonston. Dr. Maurice Hilleman developed an improved vaccine and combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine strains.
WHAT:
ABC News - The CDC reported 5,182 measles cases in 2026 so far, including more than 5,100 cases as of Wednesday.
ABC News - The rubella component of the MMR vaccine was changed in 1979; the measles and mumps components have remained unchanged in the U.S. since 1971.
ABC News - Reported measles cases in 1981 were 80% lower than in 1980.
KCCI - Iowa recorded its 50th measles case of the year. The Polk County Health Department confirmed a new case, with exposure sites at Blank Children’s Hospital in downtown Des Moines and grocery stores in Ankeny.
The Guardian - The CDC’s official count of six measles-related deaths was twice the three deaths recorded in 2025. The country was experiencing its largest outbreak since 1991, with more than 5,400 cases reported nationwide by the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker.
ABC News - The article reported 5,182 cases in its annual tally and more than 5,100 cases recorded by the CDC; it said the total was the highest in more than three decades. It reported at least eight deaths.
The Guardian - The MMR vaccine provides approximately 97% protection after two doses.
ABC News - Before the first vaccine, an estimated 3–4 million people in the U.S. contracted measles annually; 48,000 were hospitalized, 400–500 died and about 1,000 suffered encephalitis each year. Nearly all children contracted measles by age 15.
ABC News - The first measles vaccine was licensed in 1963 using a weakened Edmonston-B strain. An inactivated Pfizer vaccine was also available that year but was discontinued after 1967 because it did not protect well. An improved Edmonston-Enders vaccine became available in 1968. Hilleman combined measles, mumps and rubella strains into the MMR vaccine in 1971.
ABC News - Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning there had been no continuous spread for more than 12 months. The article said a meeting was underway to determine whether the U.S. had lost that status.
ABC News - Annual U.S. case counts reported: 385,156 in 1963; 22,231 in 1968; 75,290 in 1971; 26,871 in 1978; 17,914 in 1989; 85 in 2000; 66 in 2005; 1,274 in 2019; 2,289 in 2025.
ABC News - In 2025, the U.S. recorded three deaths: two unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas and one unvaccinated adult in New Mexico. They were the first reported U.S. measles deaths since 2015.
ABC News - In August, President Trump signed an executive order to split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots. Medical groups said developing separate components would take years and could lead to missed doctor visits because children would need six doses instead of two.
WHERE:
KCCI - The hospital exposure occurred in its waiting room and emergency department.
The Guardian - Pennsylvania was identified as the state most severely affected; New York and Wisconsin also reported measles-associated deaths. Active outbreaks were reported in nearly every U.S. state.
ABC News - Outbreaks in South Carolina and Pennsylvania largely fueled the case total. The 2025 outbreak began in western Texas, with cases also reported in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
ABC News - Peebles collected the virus sample at a boarding school near Boston. The 1963 vaccine campaign included children at the Jewish Child Care Association; a 1962 vaccination photo was taken at Fernbank School in Atlanta.
WHEN:
The Guardian - The CDC published its six-death figure on Thursday. Its website note describing the data-source change was published on 4 September.
ABC News - The first vaccine was tested on small groups of children from 1958 to 1960; in 1961, it was declared “100% effective.”
ABC News - The CDC recommended vaccination at 9 months in 1963, changing the recommendation to 12 months in 1965. In 1976, it recommended vaccination at 15 months.
ABC News - In 1978, the CDC set a goal of eliminating measles within four years; the goal was not met in 1982. In 1989, the CDC and medical associations recommended a second MMR dose, generally at school entry between ages 4 and 6.
ABC News - An MMRV vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella was approved in 2005 for children ages 12 months to 12 years.
WHY:
The Guardian - The U.S. elimination status is at risk amid the severe resurgence and continued transmission of measles.
ABC News - The second MMR dose was recommended after outbreaks among unvaccinated preschoolers and vaccinated school-aged children.
HOW:
KCCI - Measles spreads through airborne transmission when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Hospitals can use negative-airflow rooms to quarantine patients, but Dr. Joel Waddell said only a handful are available in any U.S. hospital.
KCCI - Polk County Health Department official Juliann Van Liew said at least 95% of people need MMR vaccination to suppress measles; vaccination coverage among Polk County 2-year-olds is 85%.
The Guardian - The CDC changed its measles-fatality data source to the National Center for Health Statistics to track mortality trends over time.
ABC News - Peebles isolated and cultivated the virus from Edmonston’s sample; Enders used the cultivated material to develop a vaccine. The vaccine was combined with mumps and rubella components to create MMR.
(UPDATED November 13, 2026 02:01 UTC)
Measles cases have surged past 5,000 nationwide, with at least eight state-reported deaths. The CDC officially counts six deaths, amid questions over excluded Pennsylvania fatalities. Most deaths involved unvaccinated people, while outbreaks threaten the country’s measles-elimination status.
--
(UPDATED November 13, 2026 01:10 UTC)
The CDC lists six measles deaths, while states report at least eight, including six in Pennsylvania. More than 5,400 cases mark the largest outbreak since 1991. Most deaths involved unvaccinated people.