Jan 07, 2026
3 min read
Today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of confirmed measles cases in the country rose to 2,065, up from 2,012 last week, with South Carolina, Arizona and Utah each documenting 10 to 20 more infections this week.
The United States was in danger of losing measles elimination status after passing the 2,000 mark last week.While measles vaccination campaigns have led to a sharp decline in the number of cases since 2000, infections have rebounded in recent years due to increased vaccine skepticism.
Vaccination is a major contributor
Yesterday, the South Carolina Department of Public Health added 20 more infections to its Upstate measles outbreak, for a total of 176 cases in that region since October 2 and a statewide total of 179 since July 9. The surge has been fed by infections at several elementary schools with largely unvaccinated student bodies.
We have seen the rapid spread of measles in unvaccinated homes in South Carolina.
“Some cases are travel-related exposures or close contacts of known cases,” the news release said. “Other cases have no identified source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community and could spread further. We have seen measles spread quickly in unvaccinated households here in South Carolina.”
Measles cases in Arizona have now topped the 200 mark, with 205 total cases, 10 more than last week, per the Arizona Department of Health Services. Nine of the 10 new infections are in Mohave County.
Utah, which has seen the highest measles outbreak in more than 30 years, reported 14 new cases, bringing the total to 156, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services said in an update.All but one of them are in the Southwestern Health District, which means the number of cases based in Mohave County, Arizona, and southwestern Utah has surpassed 300, up from 292 the week before to 314.
