US measles cases rise to 5,412, CDC says

Nov 13 (Reuters) – The US CDC on Friday reported 5,412 measles cases in the country as of November 12, up by 230 from the previous update, as the country battles its worst outbreak of the viral infection in decades.

Here are key details:

• Measles-related hospitalizations this year stand at 591, per CDC

• The Pennsylvania state health department has reported six measles-related deaths so far in 2026, and 1,505 measles cases as of November 9, with 290 hospitalizations

• The CDC has confirmed six measles-associated deaths so far in 2026, though it does not specify the states where the deaths were recorded

• Measles cases in the US have climbed above 5,000 for the first time since 1991. The Pan American Health Organization’s expert commission is expected to decide in the coming days whether the country should retain its measles-free status

• “The fact that there have been six deaths amidst an outbreak that has affected over 5,000 Americans for an entirely preventable disease is a travesty of our public health system,” said Dr. Thomas Lew, assistant clinical professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)