Overview
- PAHO revoked the United States’ measles-elimination designation on Friday after an expert review concluded the same virus lineage had circulated domestically for at least 12 months.
- The CDC recorded 5,412 confirmed measles cases as of Nov. 12, and state health departments have reported a total of 10 measles-associated deaths this year.
- Roughly 96–97% of infections this year have been in people who were unvaccinated, a gap experts attribute to falling two-dose MMR coverage and rising vaccine skepticism.
- Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have recommended an early MMR dose for infants 6–11 months in high-case areas and are stepping up vaccination outreach and clinic campaigns.
- Public-health leaders say regaining elimination will require 12 months without sustained domestic transmission plus stronger surveillance and funding, and they warn infants too young to be vaccinated and people with weakened immunity now face higher risk.