Additional 178 cases of measles reported by US health authorities amid outbreak - The Guardian

Case counts keep climbing

Federal health authorities reported 178 additional measles cases this week, according to The Guardian. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of Friday it had recorded 4,588 cases nationwide in 2026, more than twice the total for 2025.

The illness is spreading through at least 43 outbreaks. Pennsylvania accounts for 1,338 cases, the most of any state. The CDC also listed large outbreaks in South Carolina and Utah, each with more than 500 cases.

Official figures likely understate the true number of infections. Measles is widely regarded as one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine, and its common early symptoms of rash, runny nose, fever and cough may not prompt people to seek care right away.

Deaths and a dispute over the tally

Pennsylvania has had the nation's worst outbreak for months. State authorities have reported five measles-associated deaths and are investigating a sixth. The CDC, by contrast, has reported three measles deaths nationally.

The agency has declined to say where the third death occurred. That leaves unclear whether it is counting a death in Pennsylvania or somewhere else, The Guardian reported.

Reuters reported that Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr asked senior CDC officials in September to remove a measles death from the official count after he questioned whether the disease had contributed to it. The Guardian noted that experts have criticized the agency for a lack of transparency.

What measles can do, and what prevents it

Measles sends one in five unvaccinated people who become infected to the hospital, according to the figures cited by The Guardian. Between one and three of every 1,000 people die from related complications.

The measles vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the disease. Side effects include injection-site soreness and low-grade fever. The vaccine has been a focal point of anti-vaccine activism for decades.

Changes to vaccine oversight

This week the Department of Health and Human Services announced changes to vaccine injury reporting systems. One proposal would let doctors bill for reporting suspected vaccine injuries, among other changes.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, has long drawn attention from the anti-vaccine movement. The Guardian said researchers have found it useful for tracking rare safety issues. It also said activists have used it to make unfounded claims about vaccine safety. All vaccines carry risks, a fact vaccinologists acknowledge.

Before Kennedy took office, an expert panel weighed each vaccine change individually to decide whether benefits outweighed risks. According to The Guardian, Kennedy fired all 17 sitting members and replaced them with people who share his views. A court blocked those appointments in March.

The Guardian also listed several of Kennedy's statements as secretary. It said he misleadingly claimed children receive more than 90 vaccine doses and linked vaccines to autism despite extensive contrary evidence. It said he directed the CDC to remove claims from its website that vaccines do not cause autism. It also said he suggested vitamin A and cod liver oil may help children with measles, which leading physicians described as misleading.