New York City has confirmed its first measles case of 2026, health officials said Thursday, as outbreaks continue across the U.S.

The city’s Department of Health didn’t immediately provide any details about the confirmed case, but urged New Yorkers to ensure they and their children are up to date with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

“Measles is a virus that causes fever and a rash, and it can cause serious health complications,” the department said on its website. “It is highly contagious and anyone who is not vaccinated against the virus can get it at any age.”

“One dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles and two doses is 97% effective against measles. The MMR vaccine provides long-term protection from measles,” it added. “Vaccination is the best way to prevent measles.”

The department noted that if one person has measles, “up to 90% of people around them will also get it if they are unvaccinated or otherwise not immune.”

In 2025, there were 20 confirmed measles cases in New York City and 28 in New York state outside of the city, for a total of 48 cases statewide, according to the state's Department of Health. 

The case comes just days after Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also emphasized the need for vaccinations as measles spreads across several states.

“Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”

He added, “There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule.”

Confirmed measles outbreaks have been reported in multiple states this year, including hundreds of cases in South Carolina — surpassing the 2025 outbreak in Texas — and cases along the Utah-Arizona border.

The outbreaks have mostly impacted children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.

U.S. vaccination rates have dropped and the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data.