The United States has lost its measles-free status after 26 years, following more than 12 months of continuous transmission of the highly contagious disease, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has announced.
The decision marks a setback in the country’s efforts to eliminate measles, which was officially declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. The Wall Street Journal reported the development.
Under PAHO rules, a country loses its measles elimination status if continuous transmission of the virus persists for more than 12 months.
According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University’s International Vaccine Access Center, the United States had recorded more than 5,400 confirmed measles cases as of November 2026. The country reported 2,289 cases in 2025, meaning the number has more than doubled this year.
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The country is also experiencing its highest measles caseload in more than three decades.
Meanwhile, two additional measles-related deaths were reported on Friday in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, bringing the death toll from the disease in the United States to 10 this year.
Dispute Over Death Toll
There have been discrepancies between federal and state figures on measles-related fatalities.
According to reports, Kennedy had urged CDC Director Erica Schwartz not to include certain deaths in the official tally, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to establish a direct link between the fatalities and measles.
Pennsylvania, the state hardest hit by the outbreak, follows a specific criterion for classifying deaths. A death is considered measles-related if it occurs within 30 days of the onset of symptoms following a confirmed infection, provided no other cause of death is identified.
Declining Vaccination Rates Raise Concerns
The decline in childhood vaccination coverage has emerged as a major concern amid the outbreak.
The measles vaccination rate among kindergarten students in the United States fell from 95.2 per cent in the 2019–2020 academic year to 92.4 per cent in 2025–2026.
The decline has raised concerns about growing gaps in community-level immunity, increasing the risk of further outbreaks.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause serious complications, particularly among young children and unvaccinated people.
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