TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida is in the top five states with the highest reported cases of measles in 2026, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Across the country, there have been 2,318 confirmed cases, already exceeding the total for all of 2025, which was 2,289.
The new data puts the U.S. at a 35-year high for measles cases. The last time cases were over 2,300 was in the early 1990s.
The most affected group this year has been young people aged 5 to 19, who make up 49% of reported cases, according to CDC data. Roughly 93% of those infected were unvaccinated.
Only seven states have managed to avoid the disease this year: Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire and West Virginia.
Florida ranks #5 in confirmed cases so far in 2026, with 141. The majority are from Collier County, where Ave Maria University experienced an outbreak earlier this year.
The other four states with the most measles cases are South Carolina (670 cases), Utah (522), Texas (188), and Virginia (176).
The CDC says herd immunity is usually reached when 95% or more of a community has received the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. Florida is 38th in vaccination rates among kindergarteners in the 2024-25 school year, with roughly 88.8% having received the vaccine.
Florida experienced a staggering jump in cases over the last year, going from just 8 in 2025 to 141 confirmed cases in 2026. Data from the Florida Department of Health shows up to 155 cases of measles this year, but 14 have yet to be confirmed.
Aside from Collier County, which had the lion’s share of cases in Florida, Pinellas and Duval counties were tied for the second-most cases, with 6 each. Other counties in Tampa Bay that had confirmed cases include Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pasco.
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