Nationwide case counts have climbed past 5,400 confirmed infections across 45 states this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The United States has lost its measles elimination status after a quarter century. Public health officials say this ends a public health milestone secured in 2000.
“Loss of measles elimination status in the US signals to the world that we are not up to this task and may diminish their own aspirations to achieve and sustain measles elimination,” said William Moss, MD, MPH, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The Pan American Health Organization reached the decision following a sharp resurgence of the virus across the country. Researchers with direct knowledge of the deliberations confirmed the outcome. They said measles has reestablished regular transmission in the United States.
That total more than doubles the 2,289 cases reported during 2025. It sits far above the annual average of 180 cases recorded between 2000 and 2024.
State health officials have confirmed 10 measles-associated deaths nationwide this year, including seven in Pennsylvania, two in Wisconsin, and one in New York.
Widespread outbreaks have strained local health departments. Agencies investigate exposures, notify contacts, and manage quarantines.
Data shows the percentage of kindergartners receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine dropped from 95 percent in 2019 to 92 percent in 2026. This left roughly 300,000 children entering classrooms this year without immunization.
“I think measles is endemic in this country,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Communities generally require a vaccination rate of 95 percent or higher to sustain community-level protection. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing infection.
“It’s frustrating and heartbreaking … because we have the tools to fight this,” said Omer Awan, a trained epidemiologist and senior public health contributor for Forbes.
The Pan American Health Organization serves as the regional office of the World Health Organization for the Americas. The commission assesses the status of diseases across the Americas.
The organization originally scheduled its meeting to evaluate the United States status for April. It pushed the timeline to November.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 5,412 confirmed measles cases in the United States as of mid-November 2026. The majority were associated with active outbreaks.
The data shows thousands of additional cases compared to prior years. Those followed 2,289 reported cases in 2025 and just 285 cases in 2024.
More than 590 hospitalizations have been documented alongside the 10 fatalities.
An infected person can transmit the virus through the air by coughing, sneezing, or breathing. Up to 90 percent of susceptible people who have close contact with an infected person may contract the disease.
Health authorities say measles is not merely a rash. Complications can include ear infections and diarrhea in roughly one in 10 children.
Measles can wipe out a person’s immune memory. This erases previous infections the immune system has fought off and leaves the person vulnerable to secondary threats.
The United States must go 12 months without continuous spread of the virus to regain its elimination status. Achieving this requires local, state, and national coordination.
To regain its elimination status, the United States must go 12 months without continuous spread of the virus. Achieving this requires local, state, and national coordination to raise immunization coverage and contain transmission. Readers with questions about personal vaccination records, potential exposures, or family health strategies should consult qualified medical professionals for guidance.
Earlier coverage: PAHO Revokes US Measles Elimination Status, Reports Say