US loses measles-free status
The Pan American Health Organization withdraws the status after more than a year of sustained virus transmission.
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The United States has lost its official status as a country where measles has been eliminated. Reuters reported this, citing coverage by The Wall Street Journal, after experts from the Pan American Health Organization assessed the virus’s continued spread.
The status is said to have been in place since 2000. According to Reuters, the committee found that the United States had failed to stop continuous measles transmission for more than twelve months. The decision concerns the official recognition that ongoing domestic measles transmission has been interrupted.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 5,412 confirmed measles cases in the United States this year on 12 November 2026. The figures are provisional and are still being updated. In 2025, the CDC recorded 2,289 cases. The disease spreads mainly in communities with lower vaccination rates; according to the CDC, the share of preschool children who had received at least one MMR jab fell from 95.2 per cent in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4 per cent in 2025-2026.
Being measles-free does not mean that no infections occur. The international definition concerns the absence of continuous, endemic transmission for at least twelve months, while imported cases can still occur. The loss of status therefore mainly points to insufficient interruption of domestic transmission, not to the disappearance of protection through vaccination.
The committee that assesses the status operates under the Pan American Health Organization, the regional organisation of the World Health Organization. Reuters previously reported that the decision would be prepared during a meeting in Washington. An earlier CDC statement said that the approach to measles outbreaks would not fundamentally change if the status were lost: health services would continue to work with states and local authorities.
The news is relevant to Europe because measles is brought into countries internationally by travellers. The CDC stresses that high vaccination coverage remains necessary to prevent outbreaks, especially in local communities with vaccination gaps. What concrete consequences the loss of status will have for US policy remains unclear.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- According to Reuters, the United States lost its status as a country with eliminated measles transmission.
- The CDC reported 5,412 confirmed cases in 2026 up to and including 12 November.
- According to the CDC, vaccination coverage among preschool children fell to 92.4 per cent in the 2025-2026 school year.
Left
Arguments The outbreak shows that public healthcare and broad vaccination programmes require active government investment and reliable information.
Values Collective protection, equal access to healthcare and prevention.
Consequences Without higher vaccination coverage, local outbreaks can affect vulnerable groups and increase pressure on health services.
Centre
Arguments The status is above all a signal for better surveillance, targeted vaccination and cooperation between federal, regional and local health services.
Values Proportionality, expertise and institutional continuity.
Consequences A targeted approach can limit outbreaks without treating every region or population group in the same way.
Right
Arguments The response should be organised mainly at local and practical level, with an emphasis on freedom of choice, transparent information and the responsibility of parents and communities.
Values Individual autonomy, local decision-making and trust in institutions.
Consequences Measures perceived as centrally imposed can deepen distrust, while local vaccination gaps persist.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core claim and the latest figures are supported by Reuters and the CDC. The text explicitly states that the direct PAHO decision was not available as a public primary source.
- confirmed The United States lost its official status as a country where measles has been eliminated on 13 November 2026. — Reuters reported that PAHO had withdrawn the status; the coverage was based on a report by The Wall Street Journal. source
- confirmed The CDC reported 5,412 confirmed measles cases in the US in 2026 on 12 November 2026. — The CDC dashboard lists this number and reference date. source
- confirmed Vaccination coverage among US preschool children fell from 95.2 to 92.4 per cent. — The CDC cites both percentages for the school years mentioned. source
- confirmed Measles elimination means at least twelve months without continuous endemic transmission. — The CDC defines elimination as the absence of endemic transmission for at least twelve months with good surveillance. source
Editor's note
The change in status was reported by Reuters on the basis of coverage by The Wall Street Journal; a direct PAHO decision document was not available at the time of publication. The measles case numbers and vaccination rates come from recent CDC publications and are provisional where the CDC says so.Sources
- Measles Cases and Outbreaks — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- US loses measles-free status after continued spread of the disease, WSJ reports — Reuters via WHBL
- The US and Mexico are on the verge of forfeiting a major health victory — Associated Press
More on this in Dutch media
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- Trouw — „mazelen vaccinatie”