Measles cases in 2026 surpass Oregon’s peak measles year
By Mia Maldonado/Oregon Capitol Chronicle
Oregon has officially surpassed the number of measles cases it had during its peak outbreak year two years ago.
Oregon reported having 45 confirmed measles cases since the start of 2026, according to the Oregon Health Authority’s latest count Wednesday. That’s 14 more than in all of 2024. In 2025, there was just one confirmed measles case in Oregon.
Oregon, like the rest of the country, is experiencing a rise in measles cases as the Trump administration overhauls longstanding pediatric vaccine recommendations for children and after years of falling childhood vaccination rates.
As of Aug. 6, there were 2,465 confirmed measles cases reported in the United States, nearly 200 more than there were in all of 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly half of those cases occurred in people between 5 and 19 years old.
Most measles cases in Oregon have been reported in Multnomah County, though public health officials have tracked measles in the wastewater of at least four other counties since Aug. 1, including Washington, Polk, Marion and Klamath.
That indicates that there was at least one person with measles living in that area recently, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state health officer and epidemiologist for the Oregon Health Authority.
Local health departments are feeling the strain of more measles cases, as many lost funding following the expiration of federal COVID-19 dollars.
“Traditionally, a measles case was an immediate emergency,” Multnomah County spokesperson Dennis Theriault said. “With the sustained increase in cases and reduced funding for public health, we do not have the resources to respond in the same way.”
The Oregon Health Authority implemented changes to its measles investigation guidelines to reduce the burden on local health departments. The changes allow local health departments to focus less on the active monitoring of cases and finding the source of infection, Theriault said.
What is measles?
Measles is airborne and highly contagious from about four days before symptoms appear. Symptoms typically start with a fever, runny nose, cough, red watery eyes, followed by a blotchy rash that starts on the face and spreads downward.
Most people recover from measles, though complications can form causing pneumonia, brain damage, blindness and death.
Before the vaccine was introduced, an estimated 48,000 people were hospitalized and up to 500 people died in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC.
State epidemiologist criticizes federal government for promoting ‘false narratives’
Measles was declared “eliminated” from the U.S. since 2000, meaning the country hadn’t seen large outbreaks for at least 12 months or more.
Now, that status is at risk.
There have been 38 new outbreaks reported in the U.S. in 2026, according to the CDC. The states with the largest measles outbreaks are South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Virginia and Florida.
“It is more than likely that come this fall, we will officially lose our measles elimination status as a country,” Sidelinger said.
Sidelinger said he encourages parents who initially held off on the measles vaccine for their children to talk to their health care providers again.
“The risk of potential exposure to measles and the complications that could happen for your child are much greater today than they were a few years ago, and the vaccine is incredibly safe,” he said.
Sidelinger criticized federal officials for minimizing the need for vaccines and promoting what he said are false narratives.
Last summer, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overhauled the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee with people who have a history of questioning the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Six months later, the CDC cut back on recommendations for all children to receive vaccines such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza and COVID-19 — recommending the vaccines only for high-risk children.
Additionally, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday recommending separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible. During the signing, Trump and Kennedy repeatedly suggested vaccines could be linked to autism, despite decades of studies finding no connection.
“Do we need to invest resources as a country to try and identify the genetic and environmental causes of autism? Absolutely. Is it vaccines? No,” Sidelinger said.
Federal health officials should be promoting policies that prevent suffering, hospitalizations and death from preventable illnesses in childhood, he said.
What to know about back to school
Oregon requires that children entering kindergarten have two doses of the measles vaccine, though parents can opt-out by obtaining a medical or nonmedical exemption. Measles vaccination is also required for children attending child care facilities and for students in post-secondary colleges or universities.
Exemption rates, particularly for nonmedical exemptions, have risen in recent years. In the 2025-26 school year, nearly 11% of kindergarteners held nonmedical exemptions. Combined with students who received medical exemptions for conditions like severe allergies to vaccine ingredients or weakened immune systems from chemotherapy, the rising nonmedical exemption rate meant only 85.6% of kindergarteners were up to date on required vaccines, well below the 93% vaccination rate doctors say is necessary to prevent outbreaks.
Trump urges shift in childhood vaccine recommendations, calls for splitting up MMR vaccine
Oregon law also mandates that any unvaccinated person exposed to a preventable infectious disease stay away from schools, childcare facilities and healthcare settings for 21 days.
Parents can look up vaccination rates by school on the Oregon Health Authority’s website.
Sidelinger said parents whose children are fully vaccinated and don’t have a disease that causes problems with their immune system shouldn’t be worried.
One dose of the measles vaccine provides 95% protection against the disease. A second dose boosts effectiveness to 97% for the remainder of a person’s lifetime.
“If you’re a parent who’s chosen not to vaccinate your children, or you’re a parent who has a child who may be immunocompromised because they’re receiving chemotherapy for a cancer diagnosis, there is a chance of being exposed to measles,” Sidelinger said.
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This story originally appeared in Oregon Capital Chronicle: Measles cases in 2026 surpass Oregon’s peak measles year