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6h ago

U.S. Faces Likely Loss of Measles-Elimination Status

PAHO experts are reviewing genetic and case data to determine whether the same measles strain circulated in the United States for 12 months, which would end the nation's measles-free designation.

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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Capitol Hill on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kennedy testified before the Senate Committee on the Department of Health and Human Services' proposed 2026 fiscal year budget. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • PAHO’s Regional Verification Commission met in Washington this week to review member-state reports and viral sequencing and will recommend a ruling to PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa expected by Nov. 17.
  • The United States has recorded more than 5,000 confirmed measles cases in 2026 with at least eight state-reported deaths and hundreds hospitalized, concentrated in undervaccinated communities.
  • Public and independent genomic analyses link several ongoing transmission chains to a 2025 Texas outbreak and show chains in states such as Utah and Arizona that appear to have persisted for a year or longer, a key test under PAHO rules.
  • The CDC and HHS say outbreak response—contact tracing, testing and vaccination campaigns—will continue unchanged if the designation is revoked, but experts say the loss would sharpen public messaging and push local vaccination drives.
  • Falling MMR coverage and rising exemption rates since 2019 have produced geographic and community pockets of susceptibility, and public-health officials say targeted vaccination and stronger surveillance will be needed to regain the status.