Overview
- An expert panel reporting to the Pan American Health Organization concluded on Friday that measles circulated uninterrupted in the United States for at least 12 months, a finding that removes the country’s elimination designation.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 5,412 confirmed U.S. cases as of Nov. 12, with roughly 96–97% of infections occurring in people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
- State health departments have reported 10 measles-associated deaths this year while the CDC has confirmed six, a gap driven by a current dispute over how deaths are classified that involves HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CDC leadership.
- Kindergarten MMR coverage fell to about 92.4% in 2025–26, below the roughly 95% threshold commonly cited to prevent sustained measles spread, and outbreaks have clustered in under-vaccinated communities in states such as Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.
- To regain elimination status the United States must halt continuous domestic transmission for 12 months and strengthen vaccination campaigns, testing, contact tracing and surveillance, a shift that could lead to renewed state and federal immunization drives and travel or health advisories.