U.S. loses measles elimination status as cases break records

The U.S. lost its long-standing measles eradication status after the disease continued to spread through the past year and broke case records, according to people familiar with the decision.

The determination followed a review of the evidence by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the decision before its public release. PAHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t respond to requests for comment.

PAHO evaluates whether a single strain of measles virus has been circulating in a community for 12 months. An outbreak in Utah that has infected more than 700 people met the criteria, costing the U.S. its status.

While measles-free status is a label, its loss represents a national failure to control the highly contagious disease. It’s likely to prompt warnings about travel to the U.S. and vaccine advisories from other nations.

Canada lost its status a year ago. To regain it, countries must prove continuous transmission has stopped and that surveillance systems to track the disease have been strengthened. The U.S.’ status change was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. officially eliminated measles in 2000 following a public communications push. But vaccination rates declined as the COVID-19 pandemic increased distrust in federal health guidance, creating an opportunity for the virus to take hold again.

The CDC has confirmed 5,412 cases in 2026, more than double last year’s total and the highest number since 1991.

Under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC has been upended by staff departures and leadership changes.

About a third of career staff members were forced out or voluntarily left following cuts under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency project. The public health agency has also been overwhelmed with responding to other outbreaks, including Ebola and cyclosporiasis. In August, Erica Schwartz became the CDC’s first permanent director in almost a year.

Pennsylvania has seen the largest outbreak in the U.S. this year, recording more than 1,500 cases since it began in April and reporting its seventh measles-related death on Friday. Ten people in the U.S. have died from measles this year — three times the toll in all of 2025. The CDC has only recognized six of these deaths following a feud with Pennsylvania over how they were classified.

But it was Utah’s cases that led to the loss of elimination status. The state’s outbreak began in June 2025 and has continued to grow. Its public health experts say the virus has likely infected more people than what’s been recorded by local health departments. Only 87.2% of Utah kindergartners were inoculated with the MMR vaccine in the 2025-2026 school year, according to the CDC.

Kennedy, who previously led an anti-vaccine organization and said getting the measles, mumps and rubella shot should be a “personal choice,” has upended inoculation policy in the country alongside U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump issued an executive order this year directing HHS to produce a report on how to split up the MMR vaccine into separate components, which could make it more time-consuming for Americans to get all three. It would also mean complicated and expensive retoolings for manufacturers Merck & Co. and GSK.

The MMR vaccine is 97% effective in preventing disease after two doses, according to the CDC.

Measles is highly contagious, infecting up to 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the disease. People experience flu-like symptoms and a red rash all over the body, sometimes leading to complications including encephalitis, pneumonia and even death.