Overview
- A PAHO expert commission concluded the United States no longer met the region's measles-elimination criteria, and media reported an official announcement was expected on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026.
- The CDC recorded 5,412 confirmed measles cases in 2026 through Nov. 12, and state health departments reported multiple measles-related deaths, including recent fatalities in New York and Wisconsin.
- Public-health data show kindergarten MMR coverage fell from 95.2% to 92.4% over six years, leaving immunity below the WHO-recommended 95% two-dose threshold needed to prevent sustained spread.
- Experts and several news outlets tied the outbreaks and rising vaccine hesitancy to recent U.S. policy choices and the messaging of Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with critics pointing to an August executive action that loosened vaccination requirements for children.
- To regain measles-free status the U.S. must stop endemic transmission for at least 12 months and document that interruption to PAHO, so officials are focused on raising vaccination rates, containing outbreaks, and protecting infants and other high-risk groups.