RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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So far in 2026, the U.S. has recorded the most measles cases in more than three decades as outbreaks spread in multiple states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.\u00a0By mid-July, the number had already surpassed all of 2025, which had been the worst year in recent history with more than 2,200 confirmed cases. Ongoing outbreaks have put the U.S. at risk of losing its official\u00a0measles elimination status, which it has held since 2000.\u00a0Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases. In some cases, it can cause\u00a0severe infections\u00a0in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. But it can be prevented by vaccination, which medical research has proven to be safe and highly effective.The CBS News data team has tracked confirmed measles cases nationwide as new data is released by state health departments and the CDC.\u00a0Out of the 2,289 confirmed cases last year, more than 750 were connected to an outbreak in West Texas that led to\u00a0the deaths\u00a0of\u00a0two children.\u00a0Prior to 2025, the highest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. in recent years was 1,274 in 2019, driven by outbreaks in New York, California and Washington state. Most years the total was much lower.\u00a0Health experts point to lower vaccination rates as the main reason for increases in preventable\u00a0infectious diseases like measles. The vast majority of cases have been in people who were unvaccinated, and outbreaks have spread in communities with lower vaccination rates.CDC data shows about 93% of kindergartners in the U.S. were vaccinated against measles during the 2021-2022 school year and only 92.7% in the 2023-2024 school year. This is\u00a0down from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year \u2014 a critical threshold to keep people safe. Only 10 states hit that threshold."When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity)," the CDC states."I think that parents, for most kids, especially for the measles vaccines, the DTP, all the standard childhood vaccines, it\u0027s very important that parents vaccinate their kids," Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health,\u00a0said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."Research\u00a0has found no evidence\u00a0of increased rates of autism among those who are vaccinated compared to those who are not.\u00a0Vaccines\u00a0also undergo intensive safety testing.
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