United States Loses Measles-Free Status
The United States has lost its measles-free status after 26 years because the virus has spread continuously across the country for over a year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Pan American Health Organization stripped the US of the designation, according to sources familiar with the matter. The organization has not yet commented publicly on the change.
A country maintains measles-free status when the virus does not spread continuously for at least 12 months. The United States originally achieved the status in 2000. To regain it, the country must halt continuous transmission for at least a full year.
Cases Climb as Vaccination Rates Drop
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded over 5,400 measles cases so far in 2026, marking the highest level since the virus was eliminated in 2000. Five people died in November from outbreaks in Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin.
Immunization coverage has declined among school children. State data cited by the newspaper shows that 92.4 percent of US kindergartners received the MMR vaccine in the school year ending in June, down from 95.2 percent six years earlier.
Herd immunity requires at least 95 percent of the population to be vaccinated. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent protection against the disease.
Political Response to Outbreaks
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted debunked claims linking vaccines to autism. The administration has also advocated for fewer childhood vaccines and splitting the MMR vaccine into separate doses.
Canada lost its measles-free status in 2025. The United Kingdom and several European countries lost the designation earlier this year.
Measles Transmission and Immunity Questions
How many doses of the MMR vaccine are required for full protection?
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent protection against the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What threshold is required to prevent community spread?
At least 95 percent of the population must be vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading through a community.
When did the US first achieve elimination status?
The United States originally gained its measles-free status in 2000 after stopping continuous transmission for twelve months.
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