Measles-associated deaths in the United States have reached 10 this year after Pennsylvania and Wisconsin each reported an additional fatality, raising concerns that the country could lose its measles elimination status.
Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services said an infant had died, while Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reported that its latest victim was an unvaccinated patient who had tested positive for measles.
Pennsylvania has recorded seven measles-associated deaths and Wisconsin two. New York state reported the death of a child on November 2, its first recorded measles death in more than 30 years.
More than 5,400 confirmed measles cases have been recorded across the US this year, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker. That is more than twice the 2,289 confirmed cases reported in 2025.
Dispute over US measles death figures
The total reported by state health officials is higher than the CDC’s official count of six measles-related deaths. The agency’s figure is already twice the number it recorded in 2025.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr asked CDC director Erica Schwartz not to include the deaths in the official tally, claiming there was no evidence they were measles-associated.
The classification of deaths has become a point of dispute between Kennedy and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Pennsylvania records a “measles-associated” death when someone with confirmed measles dies within 30 days of developing symptoms, unless the death was caused by an unrelated event.
The CDC said it was working with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to establish a standard definition for measles deaths. Infectious disease experts have warned that the disagreement puts the agency at odds with the longstanding practice of tracking measles-associated deaths.
US measles elimination status at risk
Measles was officially declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Elimination status requires a country to stop instances of measles transmission for at least 12 months.
The ongoing outbreak means the US could lose that status this week. Pennsylvania has reported 1,542 confirmed cases this year, while Wisconsin has recorded 651.
Vaccination coverage among US kindergarten children fell from 95.2 per cent in the 2019-20 school year to 92.4 per cent in 2025-26. State and local health departments have increased vaccination efforts.
Measles can be prevented with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which provides about 97 per cent protection after two doses.
