Measles in 2026: a lull in France, outbreaks across the Americas and South Asia

France: the 2023-2025 wave has subsided

Since September 2025, measles has only been circulating at a low level in France. Just 2 new cases were reported in September 2026, and no cluster of 5 or more cases was active at the end of the month (Santé publique France, 15 October 2026).

The previous wave was serious, though. In 2025, France recorded 873 cases, 128 of them imported, and 7 deaths linked to the disease: 4 immunocompromised adults and 3 children who died of a late complication (2025 annual report).

The 114 cases of 2026 are far from mild:

More than one patient in three was hospitalised. The median age is 20.5, but cases are not limited to young adults: people aged 40 and over are the most affected age group (16%), ahead of 1-4-year-olds and 20-24-year-olds (14% each). Among the 77 cases targeted by vaccination with known status, 55% were not up to date and 45% had received two doses.

The weak spot: the second dose

The first dose of the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) has finally reached the target: 95.2% of children had received it by 21 months. The second dose, essential for lasting protection, stalls at 87.8% at 33 months, below the 95% target in every region (Santé publique France, April 2026).

Santé publique France notes that these figures may be underestimated, because free vaccines given in mother and child health centres (PMI) are poorly recorded. The gap is still too wide to be a mere artefact.

Teenagers and young adults are affected too. Santé publique France estimates that around 400,000 young people aged 13 to 21 may be unprotected: they received their first dose before 12 months of age and never had a third one. On top of that, 1.5 million adults aged 18 to 35 are insufficiently protected.

Europe: a clear decline after the 2024 peak

The European Union and European Economic Area reported 2,335 cases between September 2025 and August 2026, with no deaths (ECDC, 29 September 2026). Western Europe counted 35,233 cases in 2024, then 7,661 in 2025.

Five countries account for almost 80% of cases: Italy (653), Bulgaria (564), Romania (255), Spain (230) and France (146 over this period). Relative to population, Bulgaria is by far the worst hit, with 87.6 cases per million inhabitants against an average of 5.1.

Among European cases over the period:

• 71.9% were unvaccinated (among cases with known status);
• 27.2% were under 5;
• 17% were imported or linked to an imported case.

Only 4 countries out of 30 reached 95% two-dose coverage in 2024: Cyprus, Hungary, Iceland and Portugal. The ECDC calls for catch-up vaccination of teenagers and young adults, and for checking your vaccination status before any trip.

United States and the Americas: the 2026 epicentre

The United States had 4,852 confirmed cases as of 29 October 2026, more than double 2025 (2,289 cases) and the highest since 1991 (CDC). 96% of patients were unvaccinated or had unknown status. MMR coverage among children entering kindergarten has fallen to 92.4%, from 95.2% in 2019-2020.

Across the continent, the Pan American Health Organization counts 55,792 cases and 77 deaths over the first 39 weeks of 2026, in 17 countries or territories. That is 4.8 times more than over the same period of 2025 (PAHO, via Global Risk Atlas). Guatemala, Mexico and the United States have recorded the most deaths.

Canada lost its measles elimination status on 10 November 2025, which cost the whole region that status (CIDRAP). The status of the United States is due to be reviewed in November 2026 (U.S. News).

Worldwide: more cases than before Covid

The WHO estimates there were 11 million measles infections in 2024, about 800,000 more than in 2019, and 95,000 deaths, mostly among children under 5 (WHO, November 2025). Mortality has fallen by 88% since 2000, but vaccine coverage is no longer improving: 84% for the first dose and 77% for the second in 2025, far from the 95% needed (UNICEF/WHO, July 2026).

Between 2019 and 2024, cases rose by 86% in the Eastern Mediterranean, 47% in Europe and 42% in South-East Asia. Africa is the exception, with 40% fewer cases and half as many deaths. In 2025, 57 countries had a major outbreak, and 96 countries had eliminated the disease.

South Asia now carries the largest outbreaks. In Bangladesh, more than 120,000 suspected cases and almost 800 deaths, mostly children, had been recorded by the end of July 2026 (WHO, April 2026; PMC).

Why France's respite is fragile

Measles typically picks up again in winter and spring. A resurgence in France in early 2027 is therefore possible.

The risk comes first from abroad. France recorded 128 imported cases in 2025, mostly from Morocco, and the ongoing outbreaks in the Americas and South Asia will not reduce those arrivals. It also comes from within: more than 1.9 million people aged 13 to 35 are not fully protected.

Finally, the WHO is concerned about budget cuts to surveillance and vaccination programmes, which risk widening these gaps.

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