US loses measles elimination status after 26 years as cases surge

US loses measles elimination status

An independent commission of experts that reports to the director of the Pan American Health Organization determined that the US no longer qualified as having eliminated measles, a source close to the process told CNN on Friday. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The international committee considers an infection to be endemic, or regularly occurring, if infections caused by the same strain are passed from person to person for at least a year within the same country. Committee members look at the genetic code of viruses sampled from patients to make this determination.

Outbreak numbers and impact

More than 5,400 measles cases have been reported in the US this year, the highest number since 1991. Most are linked to the 43 new outbreaks this year, but more than 1,000 cases are linked to outbreaks that began last year. Nearly all of this year’s cases have been in people who had not received the MMR vaccine or whose vaccination status is unknown.

People have been hospitalized in roughly 1 in 9 reported cases, according to the CDC, and at least 10 people have died after catching measles, according to state reports.

Regional spread and expert reaction

In August, scientists with Utah’s public health laboratory published a preprint study showing that the same strain of measles had been circulating in the state for more than a year, accounting for more than 95% of cases there. It traveled from the southwest part of the state to central Utah, ultimately causing more than 600 cases between June 2025 and June 2026. There have also been sustained outbreaks in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York, as well as other states.

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: “Measles elimination is a vital sign for our public health system. It shows cracks in our foundation. Losing elimination status means that we are less prepared as a nation to address infectious and noninfectious disease challenges.”

Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, said the loss of status is “incredibly embarrassing,” and added: “Basically, measles is back.”

Why it matters

The US had considered measles eliminated as a continually transmitting illness since 2000. The MMR vaccine is so effective that two doses cut an exposed person’s chances of getting sick by 97% compared with someone who is unvaccinated. Experts say regaining elimination status will not be trivial, citing diminished public trust in vaccines, increasing nonmedical exemptions in schools, and declines in MMR vaccination among kindergarten students.

Sources

• cnn.com: Measles: After 26 years, the US has lost its elimination status | CNN
• theatlantic.com: RFK Jr. Failed America on Measles - The Atlantic

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.