The United States could lose its measles elimination status this week as an international expert panel meets in Washington, amid the largest and deadliest measles outbreak in nearly 30 years, according to Al Jazeera. The Pan American Health Organization’s Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission began its annual conference on Tuesday to assess whether the US, Mexico and Guatemala keep their status. The conference adjourns Friday, and a decision is expected early next week.
Losing elimination status requires the same measles virus strain to spread uninterrupted for at least 12 months, according to Al Jazeera. The commission is reviewing data from 2025 and the first half of 2026. It will make recommendations to PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa, who makes the final determination.
A Reddit post repackaging recent reporting says the CDC recorded 5,182 confirmed US measles cases as of 5 November, more than double the 2,289 infections reported throughout 2025. The same post cites CDC figures showing 562 measles-related hospitalisations in 2026. It also says 96% of confirmed patients were unvaccinated or had no recorded vaccination status.
The post also cites CDC figures showing kindergarten MMR vaccination coverage fell from 95.2% in 2019-20 to 92.4% in 2025-26.
Noel Brewer, chair of the US committee reviewing national measles surveillance, said publicly available data indicated two transmission chains had lasted longer than a year, according to the same Reddit post.
The US eliminated endemic measles transmission in 2000 and has had sustained outbreaks since January 2025. Canada lost its status last November, according to Al Jazeera.
Paul Offit, a prominent critic of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that independent of PAHO’s decision, measles is now endemic in the US, according to a Reddit post. CDC Director Erica Schwartz said losing status would not change the agency’s approach, which works with states, according to Al Jazeera.
The case counts in the sources do not match. One Reddit post cites the CDC’s 5,182 figure as of 5 November. Another cites more than 5,400 nationally, according to the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker, without a stated date.
Death counts also differ. Reuters, as reported in a Reddit post, said state health departments recorded 11 measles-related deaths since early 2025. CDC national figures for 2025 and 2026 include seven deaths. Reuters attributed the gap to the CDC using National Center for Health Statistics mortality data rather than state totals.
The commission finishes its deliberations Friday and will send its recommendations to Barbosa, whose decision is expected early next week. No official PAHO decision has been published, and no response from Kennedy or the Department of Health and Human Services appears in the sources. Most of the US-specific details come from Reddit reposts with excerpts only, not the original Washington Post, Reuters or NBC reports they cite, the case totals have not been reconciled, and it is unclear whether the commission will consider the US case total or only transmission chains.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.