US Could Lose Measles Elimination Status This Week
The United States could lose its measles elimination status in the week of November 11, 2026, according to The Guardian. Elimination status is the formal designation a country receives when measles is no longer spreading continuously within its borders. The decision sits with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional health agency for the Americas.
A panel of eight independent experts working under PAHO will consider the epidemiological evidence, meaning the data on how the disease has spread, in Washington, D.C. The PAHO director will make the final decision.
The review comes during what the Guardian describes as the worst US measles outbreak since 1991. The Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker counts more than 5,400 cases nationally in 2026. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a lower figure of 5,182 confirmed cases as of November 5, 2026, and said 96% of those cases were linked to outbreaks. CDC counts only confirmed cases reported to it, leaving out probable cases that states report. It defines an outbreak as three or more related cases. By its count, 43 new outbreaks were reported in 2026 as of November 5.
The toll includes deaths. Six people died of measles in Pennsylvania in 2026, according to the Guardian. A child died in New York on Election Day, and an infant died in Wisconsin in 2026, days after the New York death. Nearly every US state has an active outbreak as of November 2026.
For comparison, CDC reported 2,289 confirmed cases for the full year 2025, across 48 outbreaks. In 2024, it reported 285 cases and 16 outbreaks.
Measles is preventable. The Guardian reports that two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, are 97% effective against measles.
