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As of February 19, 2026, there were 982 confirmed measles cases reported in the United States for the year so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—a high case count for a year that is barely 2 months in. By comparison, there were a total of 2,280 cases through all of 2025. Public health leaders and clinicians are facing 5 new outbreaks this year in at least 26 states. Health departments in Arizona (49 cases), Utah (104 cases), and South Carolina (750 cases) continue to provide real-time updates based on their data collection efforts. Individual state reports may not be included in the CDC dashboard until the agency confirms the data. Hospitalizations remain at about 3% nationwide, and the vast majority of cases (83%) are among those under the age of 20 and the unvaccinated (94%).
The daily routine: What’s also concerning is that the public exposure sites seem to be larger spaces and more widespread. The sites include urgent care centers in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and Asheville, North Carolina, as well as highly visited locales such as Philadelphia International Airport, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Disneyland, and numerous restaurants and retail stores.