Reports say PAHO panel found U.S. no longer meets measles elimination standard

CNN and The Washington Post reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the review, that an expert commission advising the Pan American Health Organization concluded the United States no longer qualifies for measles-elimination status. PAHO has not publicly announced the result, and AP reported before the review that commission findings would go to PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa for a final determination.[1][2][3]

The finding would end a designation the United States achieved in 2000 after decades without continuous domestic transmission. The CDC reported 5,412 confirmed cases through Nov. 12 this year, more than twice the 2,289 recorded in all of 2025.[5]

PAHO's Regional Verification Commission met Nov. 10-13 to review elimination status across the Americas, including that of the United States and Mexico, the organization said in an October notice.[4] Separately, the independent U.S. committee that verifies the country's annual measles report presented its findings to PAHO on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported, quoting committee chair Noel Brewer.[2] The Post said an announcement of the commission's conclusions is expected Tuesday, Nov. 17.[2]

Measles elimination means the virus no longer spreads continuously within a country; imported infections can still trigger short outbreaks. The review examines whether the same virus strain has passed between people inside a country for at least 12 months, using epidemiological and laboratory evidence, including virus genomes.[1][6]

CNN reported that the committee's specific evidence has not been made public. A Utah public-health laboratory preprint published in August found the same strain in more than 95% of cases there over a year, accounting for more than 600 infections between June 2025 and June 2026. CNN cited the study as context, not as a confirmed description of the panel's evidence.[1]

Of the CDC's 5,412 confirmed cases this year, 5,216 were associated with outbreaks. The agency reported 43 outbreaks in 2026 and said 1,385 cases were tied to outbreaks that began in 2025. By comparison, 90% of 2025's 2,289 cases were outbreak-associated.[5]

National kindergarten MMR coverage was 92.4% in the 2025-26 school year, down from 95.2% in 2019-20, according to CDC estimates. The agency says coverage above 95% helps protect communities and estimates that about 280,000 kindergartners were at risk during the latest school year.[5]

CDC Director Erica Schwartz said this week the designation would not change the agency's approach: the CDC would continue working with state and local health departments to identify transmission and promote vaccination, AP reported. Public-health experts cited by AP called for a more intensive vaccination campaign and additional federal planning.[3]

Death totals also differ by reporting method. The CDC listed six measles-associated deaths for 2026 as of its Nov. 12 update and said it is working with states on a standardized definition. AP reported at least 10 deaths using state reports, including two announced Friday.[3][5]

The status review followed sustained outbreaks that began in the United States in 2025. The CDC said the country had been considered free of endemic measles since 2000; before that, travelers could bring in cases, but high vaccination coverage generally kept spread short-lived.[1][5]

Reuters reported that a country can regain elimination status after it ends transmission and remains free of an outbreak for at least 12 months. PAHO's review also covered Mexico, but no finding on Mexico was reported alongside the U.S. panel decision.[4][6]