Measles – Multi-country (World) – Monitoring European outbreaks – Monthly monitoring

In August 2026, 28 countries reported measles data. Ten countries reported a total of 143 cases and 18 countries reported zero cases.

Overall, case numbers increased compared with the previous month, however this may be subject to change in the event of a future retrospective update. The highest case counts were reported by Bulgaria (62), Sweden (41), Italy (18), Spain (nine) and Germany (six).

In the most recent 12-month period, from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, 30 EU/EEA Member States reported a total of 2 335 cases of measles, 2 040 (87.4%) of which were laboratory confirmed. 

Of the 2 335 cases with known age, 636 (27.2%) were in children under five years; 1 203 (51.5%) cases were in those aged 15 years and above. The highest notification rates were observed among infants under one year of age (54.8 cases per million) and children aged 1-4 years (27.5 cases per million).

Of 2 068 individuals (88.6% of all cases) with a known age and vaccination status, 1 487 (71.9%) were unvaccinated, 342 (16.5%) were vaccinated with one dose of a measles-containing vaccine, 193 (9.3%) were vaccinated with two or more doses, and 45 (2.2%) were vaccinated with an unknown number of doses.

During the 12-month period, zero deaths attributable to measles were reported to ECDC by any country. Detailed data are available in ECDC's Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases.

Complementary epidemic intelligence surveillance was performed on 9 October 2026. No new or ongoing outbreaks have been detected in EU/EEA. Sporadic cases and clusters were reported in several EU/EEA countries. Updates are provided for several countries and regions outside the EU/EEA: Serbia, Kosovo*, England, Ukraine, Australia, Bangladesh, Israel, Africa CDC, the World Health Organization Pan American Health Organization (WHO PAHO), Japan, Canada, the United States (US) and Mexico.

Disclaimer: The monthly measles report published in the CDTR provides the most recent data on cases and outbreaks based on information made publicly available by the national public health authorities or the media. Sometimes this information is made available retrospectively. This report is a supplement to ECDC’s monthly measles and rubella monitoring report, based on data routinely submitted by 30 EU/EEA countries to EpiPulse Cases. Data presented in the two monthly reports may differ.

Epidemiological summary for EU/EEA countries with relevant epidemic intelligence updates:

Austria reported nine confirmed or probable cases in 2026 and as of 7 October 2026 (an increase by one case since September).

Bulgaria has seen a decline in outbreak-related cases, with a total of 580 cases of measles reported by week 40 (ending on 4 October 2026), an increase by 25 cases since  the end of August 2026. In response to the outbreak more than 80 000 MMR vaccine doses have been administered in the country. In 2025, Bulgaria reported two cases.

Germany reported 139 confirmed and probable measles cases in 2026 (week 1 to 41).

On 8 October 2026, Portuguese media reported an additional measles case in an unvaccinated man in Lisbon. More than 400 contacts had reportedly been identified. This brings the total number of reported cases in Portugal in 2026 to ten.

Spain reported 161 cases of measles from 1 January to 4 October 2026, including 17 imported cases.

Sweden Since January 2026 and as of 9 October 49 cases of measles have been reported (an increase by two case since mid-September 2026). The majority of the reported cases this year (40) are related to the outbreak reported in mid-August, linked to a musical festival.

Epidemiological summary for EU/EEA outermost territories with relevant epidemic intelligence updates:

No new outbreaks or cases have been detected in the reporting period.

Western Balkans countries and Türkiye

No new outbreaks have been detected in the reporting period.

Serbia has reported two cases of measles in 2026.  According to Serbian media, one measles case was confirmed in Serbia in late August 2026. The case was reported from an area with low vaccination coverage.

Kosovo*: according to media, citing the The National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, from April 16 to September 27, 2026, 180 cases of measles have been confirmed, with over 95 percent of confirmed cases belong to people who have not been vaccinated.

Kosovo (*) - This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

Epidemiological summary for selected countries outside of the EU/EEA with relevant epidemic intelligence updates:

England: between 1 January 2026 and 7 September 2026, there have been 1 003 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England. Half of the cases (501 out of 1003) have been in London, 16% in the West Midlands, 11%  in the North West and 8.6 in the East England. 

Ukraine has reported 650 cases since January 2026 (up until August 2026).

Australia has reported 120 cases in 2026, as of 9 October 2026.

Bangladesh is experiencing a major measles outbreak. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), as of October 2026 there had been 201,625 suspected measles cases, including 22 116 laboratory-confirmed cases, with 1 040 suspected or confirmed measles-related deaths.

Israel: ongoing measles outbreak has resulted in 3 823 cases, 1 262 hospitalisations and 17 deaths as of 2 September 2026, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health.

Africa CDC reported on 20 September 2026, moderate to high risk of measles in three countries: Burundi (1 411 suspected cases, 13 deaths), Mali (506 suspected and 296 confirmed cases, 0 deaths), Togo (388 suspected, 177 confirmed cases and 0 deaths). Overall, 10 471 confirmed and 173 681 suspected cases of measles and 1 718 deaths (CFR: 0.99%) from 23 AU Member State countries, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (121 138 cases and 1 583 deaths), Somalia ( 12 438 cases, 51 deaths), and Burkina Faso (10 471 cases and 31 deaths) having the highest numbers in terms of case counts.

According to the WHO Pan American Health Organization (WHO PAHO) report published on 5 October, 55 285 confirmed measles cases have been reported by 16 countries, the majority of which have been reported from Guatemala (34 134) followed by Mexico, US, Canada and Peru (2 550).

Mexico reported 13 645 confirmed cases of measles and 23 deaths in 2026 and as of 8 October 2026. The number of cases has declined in the last couple of months. Since the start of the outbreak in 2025, Mexico has reported 20 259 confirmed cases of measles and 50 deaths.

Canada reported 1 121  measles cases (1 040 confirmed) and no deaths across eight jurisdictions ( Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan) in 2026 and as of 5 October 2026. According to Canadian authorities, there is an ongoing multi-jurisdictional outbreak, and the vast majority of the cases (1 032 cases, 951 confirmed) reported in 2026 are linked to this outbreak. Since the beginning of this outbreak in October 2024, overall 6 417 cases (5 929 confirmed) linked to this outbreak have been reported (data as of 26 September 2026).

The US as of 2 October, the US has reported 3 887 confirmed measles cases in 47 jurisdictions since January 2026. Of the reported cases, 18 were in international visitors of the US. The majority of cases have occurred in school-age children and adults (82%) and unvaccinated individuals (95%). Pennsylvania is currently experiencing the largest ongoing measles outbreak, reporting a total of 1 078 cases and five associated deaths (7 October 2026). Over 31% of the reported cases are children under 18 years of age. On 5 October 2026, the Governor of New York State declared a disaster emergency due an ongoing measles outbreak following an increase of measles case in the past two months in 18 counties of the state, mainly affecting rural areas. The state of emergency allows to reallocate the recourses, to expand the number of health professionals who can administer MMR vaccine and perform testing when needed.  

Japan reported a substantial increase in measles activity in 2026. By week 39 of 2026 (21-27 September) 576 cases have been reported.  As of September 2026, genotyping data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Infectious Disease Surveillance Center included approximately 286 laboratory confirmed cases.

For more information on the provisional number of cases outside the EU/EEA region, please visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

The numbers provided to WHO for EU/EEA countries are from EpiPulse Cases data, which are updated monthly and available on the ECDC Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases. Due to differences in reporting times, the numbers may not correspond to the data from epidemic intelligence screening.

ECDC is monitoring the measles situation through its epidemic intelligence activities. Data collected via epidemic intelligence supplement the monthly outputs of measles surveillance data from EpiPulse Cases, which are routinely submitted by 30 EU/EEA countries.

ECDC urges EU/EEA public health authorities to focus on the following areas:

• Close immunity gaps, achieve and maintain high vaccination coverage for measles-containing vaccines (>95% with the second dose). It is vital to ensure first and second dose vaccinations are administered on time, as per national schedules among infants and children. It is also important to identify and vaccinate eligible individuals (for example, non-immune adolescents and adults) in immunisation catch-up programmes (as recommended by local and national authorities).
• Strive towards high-quality surveillance and adequate public health capacity, especially for early detection, diagnosis, response and control of outbreaks.
• Increase the clinical awareness of health professionals, including reminding them of the importance of checking individuals' vaccination status ahead of travel.
• Healthcare professionals should be fully vaccinated.
• Promote vaccine acceptance and uptake by employing specific risk communication strategies and identifying drivers of suboptimal MMR vaccine acceptance and uptake to ensure that tailored interventions are implemented in response.
• Address barriers and engage with populations underserved by healthcare services. Systemic barriers that affect vaccine uptake in populations that are isolated and underserved by healthcare services need to be monitored and addressed with targeted strategies in order to reduce inequalities in vaccine uptake.
• In light of the summer holiday season, travellers should check their vaccination status and consult their general practitioner to ensure they are up-to-date with recommended immunisations prior to departure.

ECDC's latest advice on measles is available in the Threat Assessment Brief 'Measles on the rise in the EU/EEA: Considerations for a public health response', published in February 2024, and its conclusions remain valid. Additional information on the risk classification and ECDC recommendations can be found in this report.