Declared eliminated in 2000, the disease is making a comeback across the US, with nearly 4,900 cases reported nationwide this year
A child has died from measles in New York State for the first time in 30 years, local authorities announced Monday.
Measles cases have more than doubled across the country this year, with nearly 4,900 infections reported as of late October, compared with 2,289 in all of 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year’s tally was already the highest since 1991, when 9,643 cases were recorded.
A highly contagious viral respiratory disease that was officially eliminated in the US in 2000 following a successful mass vaccination campaign. Before mass vaccination began in the 1960s, measles killed between 400 and 500 Americans every year, according to CDC data.
“This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said commenting on the death in rural Lewis County.
In August, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a reduction in the number of childhood vaccines and recommending that measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shots be administered separately rather than as a combined vaccine. The move triggered a wave of criticism with opponents warning that it could reduce vaccination rates and expose children to harmful diseases.
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania reported its first measles-related deaths in 35 years, with state health authorities recording five fatalities, while the CDC’s official tally lists three nationwide. All five victims were unvaccinated, according to state health officials. The discrepancy reflects differences in reporting and classification, with the CDC working with state epidemiologists to establish a standardized definition of measles-associated deaths.
According to CDC data, vaccination rates among US kindergarteners declined during the 2025-2026 school year, with coverage for the MMR shots falling to 92.4%, down from 92.5% the previous year. At the same time, exemptions from one or more required vaccines rose to a record 4.2%, compared with 3.6% a year earlier.
Globally, measles killed an estimated 95,000 people in 2024, most of them unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children under the age of five, according to the World Health Organization. At the same time, vaccination prevented nearly 59 million deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, the organization said.
