The United States has lost its measles elimination status after sustained transmission continued for a year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report followed a review by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which assesses countries’ elimination status.
The outbreak in Utah was the factor that met the criteria for ending the status, according to the Bloomberg report. It began in June 2025 and has infected more than 700 people. PAHO evaluates whether one strain of measles virus has circulated in a community for 12 months.
What the status change means
The change is a designation rather than a declaration that measles has been eliminated from the country. To regain the status, the US must show that continuous transmission has stopped and that its disease surveillance systems have been strengthened. PAHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were not immediately available for comment after business hours on Friday, the report said.
The US officially eliminated measles in 2000. The CDC has confirmed 5,412 cases so far in 2026, the article reported, describing that figure as more than twice last year’s total and the highest annual count since 1991.
Outbreaks and deaths
Pennsylvania has recorded more than 1,500 cases since an outbreak began there in April, according to the report. It also reported its seventh measles-related death on Friday. Nine people in the US have died from measles so far this year, the article said, while the CDC has recognized six of those deaths following a dispute with Pennsylvania over their classification.
The report said only 87.2% of Utah kindergartners received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 2025–2026 school year, citing CDC data. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the CDC, as cited in the article.
