{"id":888350,"date":"2026-01-27T23:26:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T05:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/27\/a-measles-resurgence-has-put-the-u-s-at-risk-of-losing-its-elimination-status\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T23:26:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T05:26:37","slug":"a-measles-resurgence-has-put-the-u-s-at-risk-of-losing-its-elimination-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/27\/a-measles-resurgence-has-put-the-u-s-at-risk-of-losing-its-elimination-status\/","title":{"rendered":"A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its &#8216;elimination&#8217; status"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\n<p>One year ago this week, a case of measles was recorded in Gaines County, Texas.<\/p>\n<p>It was the start of an outbreak that killed two children and sickened at least 760 people. Thousands more in the U.S. have contracted measles since.<\/p>\n<p>In April, the Pan American Health Organization, an offshoot of the World Health Organization, will determine whether the same virus strain first recorded in west Texas on Jan. 20, 2025, has been transmitted without interruption in the 12 months since.<\/p>\n<p>If it has, the U.S. will officially lose the measles elimination status that the organization conferred in 2000.<\/p>\n<div data-vertical data-video-disable-history data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center>    <gn-video-player data-video-player data-video-authors=\"Corinne Purtill\" data-video-id=\"0000019b-e3b4-db9e-a5bf-e3f7a6d70000\" data-video-platform=\"gvp\" data-video-title=\"A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its \u2018elimination\u2019 status\" data-internal-video-id=\"0000019b-e3b0-dcad-a79b-fff4cd670000\" data-player-id=\"f7074c557811b4bca8f832f69dddb77ca\" data-autoplay-threshold=\"50\" data-vertical data-lazy-offset=\"1.0\"> <\/p>\n<div data-vjs-player> <video playsinline=\"playsinline\" loop preload=\"none\" title=\"A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its \u2018elimination\u2019 status\" data-video-id=\"0000019b-e3b4-db9e-a5bf-e3f7a6d70000\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/apple-hls\/260122-measles.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/apple-hls\/260122-measles-custom-avc-9x16-720p-29-97fps-2000kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/apple-hls\/260122-measles-custom-avc-9x16-720p-29-97fps-3500kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/apple-hls\/260122-measles-custom-avc-9x16-540p-29-97fps-2500kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/apple-hls\/260122-measles-custom-avc-9x16-360p-29-97fps-600kbps-automatic.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\"><source src=\"https:\/\/ca-times-cdn.platform.californiatimes.com\/77\/72\/a5daf5db4f8093d5f9b49b369c8e\/file-group\/260122-measles-custom-generic-hd-mp4-av1-aac-16x9-720x1280p-30hz-2mbps-qvbr-vq7.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/video>   <\/p>\n<div><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\"  ><img alt   width=\"473\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/4c054be\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1080x1918+0+1\/resize\/473x840!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa0%2F92%2Feecaa2fa4e338c75d7fced32f0a9%2F9x16-template-00-00-01-19-still012.jpg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\">   <\/picture> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/gn-video-player>  <\/div>\n<p>Meeting those requirements \u201ctook several decades of really hard work,\u201d said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease specialist and emeritus professor at UC Berkeley. \u201cLosing that distinction is an embarrassment for the United States. It\u2019s another nail in the coffin for the credibility of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In public health terms, elimination means that a disease has become rare enough, and immunity to it widespread enough, that local transmission dwindles quickly if a case or two emerges.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2026\/01\/20\/cdc-measles-briefing-lost-elimination-status-cost-of-doing-business\/\" target=\"_blank\"><u>studying virus sequences<\/u><\/a> from multiple sites around the U.S. to determine whether more recent measles cases are descended from the original outbreak or were introduced from other locations, a distinction that could affect whether the U.S. keeps its status.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the international committee\u2019s ultimate ruling, what is clear is that a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease kept largely in check for a quarter of a century is surging back.<\/p>\n<p>There were 4,485 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/data-research\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">confirmed measles cases<\/a> in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2024, according to the CDC. In 2025 alone, there were 2,242 \u2014 the highest annual case count since the early 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeasles is incredibly contagious, and it is the thing that comes first when you take your foot off the gas, in terms of trying to keep vaccination levels up,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/science\/story\/2025-02-10\/adam-ratner-booster-shots-book\"><u>said Dr. Adam Ratner<\/u><\/a>, a New York-based pediatric infectious disease specialist and author of the book \u201cBooster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children\u2019s Health.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t have to turn out this way,\u201d he said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help us that there haven\u2019t been clear messages from HHS.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In March, after the first child death from measles in more than a decade in the U.S., Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/press-room\/measles-outbreak-call-to-action-for-all-of-us.html\" target=\"_blank\"><u>issued a statement<\/u><\/a> that noted vaccines\u2019 effectiveness in preventing measles\u2019 spread, but stopped short of outright recommending that parents vaccinate their children.<\/p>\n<p>A month later, he posted on X: \u201cThe most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/shots-health-news\/2025\/04\/07\/nx-s1-5354900\/hhs-rfk-endorses-mmr-measles-vaccine-stoking-supporters-fury\" target=\"_blank\"><u>outraging many<\/u><\/a> of his anti-vaccine supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Yet as the year went on, Kennedy and the agencies he leads  upended the nation\u2019s vaccine delivery system, while publicly sharing misleading and inaccurate information about immunizations.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy dismissed the members of a key vaccine advisory committee to the CDC and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/science\/story\/2025-09-19\/cdc-committee-votes-on-covid-19\"><u>replaced them all <\/u><\/a>with handpicked appointees, many of whom have been openly critical of vaccines or have spread medical misinformation. <\/p>\n<p>Late last year, the CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/science\/story\/2025-11-20\/cdc-fills-website-on-v\"><u>altered its website<\/u><\/a> messaging on vaccines and autism to include inaccurate statements linking immunizations to the neurodevelopmental disorder. Earlier this month, the CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/science\/story\/2026-01-05\/u-s-changes-childhood-vaccine-schedule-to-require-fewer-immunizations\"><u>abruptly slashed<\/u><\/a> the number of diseases it recommends children be vaccinated against from 17 to 11.<\/p>\n<p>While the CDC has not officially changed MMR vaccine recommendations, the agency\u2019s conflicting actions and confusing statements have only further depressed vaccination rates, experts said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe messages that are coming out of this CDC are crazy. It\u2019s hard for pediatricians. It\u2019s hard for parents,\u201d Ratner said. \u201cNothing has changed about how safe the MMR vaccines are &#8230; or how well they work. It is all the messaging. And I\u2019m very concerned that that is speeding up, not slowing down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vaccination rates in the U.S. were already dipping before Kennedy\u2019s appointment to lead Health and Human Services. <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/ivac\/2025\/across-the-us-childhood-vaccination-rates-continue-to-decline\" target=\"_blank\">Only 10 U.S. states<\/a> \u2014 including California \u2014 meet the 95% vaccination threshold required to prevent community transmission of measles.<\/p>\n<p>Forty-five states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/measles\/data-research\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\"><u>reported confirmed measles cases<\/u><\/a> last year, and at least nine states have logged cases in January alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you go to cdc.gov, you would expect to see a huge banner saying, \u2018Measles outbreak, get your vaccine now,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Jeff Goad, a Chapman University School of Pharmacy professor and president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pan American Health Organization will review data from the U.S. and Mexico on April 13 to determine whether those two countries will endure the same fate as Canada, which lost its measles elimination status in November.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether or not we officially lose elimination status is an academic exercise at this point,\u201d said Mathew Kiang, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reality is that without concentrated efforts to ramp up vaccination, we will continue to have these long, extended outbreaks across the U.S.,\u201d Kiang said. \u201cWe\u2019re witnessing the results of a years-long effort to disassemble the vaccine infrastructure in the U.S. that has been accelerated by the current administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-impression-sr=\"25.0\" data-list-id=\"00000192-be42-da32-a3db-ff76fc3b0000\" data-module-id=\"00000192-be42-da32-a3db-ff76fc3b0000\" data-impression-threshold=\"1000\" data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center>\n<p data-element=\"element-header\" data-click=\"liZZListTitleCTA\">\n<h3 data-element=\"element-header-title\" data-counter=\"3\">More to Read <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> Corinne Purtill <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/science\/story\/2026-01-22\/measles-resurgence-puts-u-s-at-risk-of-losing-its-elimination-status\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One year ago this week, a case of measles was recorded in Gaines County, Texas. It was the start of an outbreak that killed two children and sickened at least 760 people. Thousands more in the U.S. have contracted measles since. In April, the Pan American Health Organization, an offshoot of the World Health Organization<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":888351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4869,23116],"tags":[9307,12140],"class_list":{"0":"post-888350","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-measles","8":"category-resurgence","9":"tag-measles","10":"tag-resurgence"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}