Jan 22, 2026
3 min read
The upcoming US review of measles eradication comes after cases peaked in 30 years by the end of 2025.
The United States could lose its measles eradication status, and this is what makes sense.
The United States may soon become a measles-free country.
The Pan American Health Organization, the part of the World Health Organization that monitors infectious diseases in the Americas, is scheduled to review the status of measles elimination in the US and Mexico in April.The review stems from massive outbreaks that began in the US in January 2025, the organization said in a statement.
The loss of this status, defined by the WHO as being free from continuous transmission of the disease for at least one year, goes back to what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls a "public health crisis."
The U.S. is currently suffering a series of measles outbreaks in early 2025, reaching a three-decade high by the end of the year.The outbreak began in Gaines County, Texas, which later spread to surrounding areas.Texas led the nation with the highest number of cases, finally declaring the outbreak "over" in August.
Yet, the United States is asked to prove that the current cases in South Carolina and other provinces are not associated with the one in Texas.Paho had already eliminated the Canadian ban after three decades in November.
As of January 13, the CDC has recorded 171 confirmed measles cases in nine states in 2026, 95% of which were in people who had not been vaccinated.
Here's what to know about the "elimination situation" and why the United States is losing it?
What is the cancellation rate?
When it comes to communicable diseases such as measles, this means that there are no co-occurrences (or related cases) of diseases that are endemic within the country, and the diseases that occur are imported from abroad.
The term "locally acquired" or "locally transmitted" is sometimes used to describe infections, meaning that a disease started and spread from person to person in one place.In this case, it means that people get measles without having recently traveled to a foreign country where it is commonly found.
According to the World Health Organization, to achieve elimination status, a country must be free of locally transmitted or transmitted cases of the same disease for 12 months or more.
In 1978, the United States set a goal of eliminating measles by 1982, which was missed but led to an 80% reduction in cases by 1981.According to the agency, measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000 due to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States.
The last major outbreak to threaten eradication status in the United States occurred in 2019, when a total of 1,249 measles outbreaks and 22 measles outbreaks were reported nationwide between January 1 and October 1.
How can the United States lose elimination status?
The breadth of the cluster of diseases from Texas last year prompted an upcoming review by PAHO.
In 2025, measles cases reached a 30-year high, with 2,242 cases confirmed in 45 unique outbreaks in 45 jurisdictions.About 90% of cases are directly linked to known outbreaks, and 93% of infections occur in people who are unvaccinated or have no vaccination status.The outbreak killed three people, including two children.Death, the first child death from measles in ten years.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that affects children more severely.The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine protects against measles with a 97% effectiveness rate and is usually given to children as part of the regular vaccination course at the age of 12-15 months for the first dose and 4-6 years for the second dose.
Vaccination rates have declined in recent years, however, and an increasing number of states are no longer reporting rates consistent with herd immunity, and infections have recurred.If more than 95% of people in the community are vaccinated, most people will be protected, even if they can't get the vaccine themselves, because others around them have died, and it won't spread.
Vaccination coverage among U.S. preschoolers fell from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024-2025 school year, well below the level needed for effective pet prevention, according to the CDC.
What happens if the United States loses its measles control status?
This designation is more symbolic than anything else, according to OPS.
"The loss of measles eradication does not result in legal sanctions, but is an important public health indicator," PAHO said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY."Eradication can be reversed. The Americas have faced setbacks before — including the loss of provisional status in Venezuela (2018) and Brazil (2019) — and have successfully eradicated again with better vaccination, increased awareness, and a faster response to outbreaks."
RFK Jr., smallpox and changes in childhood immunization schedule
Another mystery is the growing anti-vaccination movement, bolstered by the confirmation as health secretary of longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In addition to his anti-vaccine rhetoric, Kennedy downplayed measles-related child deaths and touted bogus treatments and preventive measures, such as the use of vitamin A.
Kennedy made several changes to the U.S. vaccination schedule and recommendations, including removing four childhood vaccines from the list and splitting the MMR vaccine into two separate branches.Kennedy, with the support of President Donald Trump, said that reducing vaccination rates brings the United States closer to other developed countries.
The updated recommendations maintain vaccinations for 11 diseases, including measles, mumps and chickenpox, while placing the rest in high-risk groups or at the discretion of parents and their doctors, the Department of Health and Social Affairs said.For now, insurance companies said they still plan to cover the cost of removing the four bullets.
Kennedy's actions on vaccinations have been criticized by major medical bodies and public health experts, warning that more Americans, including children, could die from preventable diseases.Kennedy said vaccines would remain available to anyone who wants them, and vaccination advocates praised what they say is a step toward a more rights-based approach to public health.
The CDC still recommends vaccination as the best way to prevent contracting or spreading measles.
