U.S. officials are building a case that ongoing measles outbreaks in South Carolina and other states are unrelated to last year’s major outbreak in Texas, as it tries to retain its status of having eliminated the disease after recording the highest number of confirmed infections in three decades.

Measles cases are rising sharply in the US, reaching the highest levels since 2000. Here’s how contagious measles is, how long infected people can spread it, and why officials are concerned.

January 2026 marks a year since measles outbreaks began, which should prompt the Pan American Health Organization to revoke measles elimination status from the U.S.

Three children from the same household, all unvaccinated, had been in an area with a measles outbreak, according to the state's health department.

The U.S. reported over 2,000 measles cases in 2025, 93% of which were among unvaccinated people or those with an unknown vaccination status. It is the highest annual total since 1992 and by far the most since the disease was declared eliminated.

U.S. officials are attempting to prove that ongoing measles outbreaks in several states are unrelated to last year's outbreak in Texas. This is crucial for maintaining the country's measles-elimination status,

U.S. measles outbreak has hit 2,000 confirmed cases amid Trump and RFK Jr.'s assault on vaccines and the CDC. Doctors and health experts weigh in.

MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. recorded more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, the nation’s highest yearly total in decades, health officials report. As of Dec. 30, 2,065 measles cases had been confirmed nationwide, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2025, the United States had over 2,000 measles cases, the CDC reported, and on the final day of the year the Kentucky Department for Public Health identified new potential