The 26-year record ends! US loses measles-free status

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) determined that the United States had failed to prevent the continued spread of the measles virus for more than a year, and therefore revoked its qualification to "eliminate measles," the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, ending a 26-year record dating back to 2000.

A source familiar with the process told CNN that an independent expert committee reporting to the director of PAHO concluded that the United States no longer meets the standards for measles elimination certification.

What is known so far?

PAHO reviewed evidence provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine whether a measles strain has been circulating continuously for 12 months or more. This is an important basis for judging whether the virus has continued to spread locally and is not just caused by imported cases from abroad.

A person familiar with the CDC's findings told Reuters that the agency confirmed that the measles virus had been circulating continuously for 12 months.

The United States has maintained Measles Elimination certification since 2000. However, this year as of Thursday (November 12), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 5,182 confirmed cases in 45 states, New York City and Washington, D.C., more than double the 2,289 cases in all of 2025.

Since 2025, approximately 7,500 people in the United States have been infected with measles, and 13 people have died. According to CNN, citing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost all of this year's cases have not been vaccinated, or their vaccination status is unknown; about one in nine patients require hospitalization.

Vaccine doubts have intensified during the tenure of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy has been skeptical about the safety of the measles vaccine for years but has provided no scientific evidence to support his views.

Can measles be prevented?

Experts point out that measles is completely preventable through vaccination.

"This is a completely preventable disease. It's really unacceptable to have such a large-scale measles epidemic now," said Noel Brewer, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina. On Tuesday, he presented the CDC report to the Pan American Health Organization, Reuters reported.

William Moss, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told Reuters that the United States' loss of this certification would damage its reputation as a leader in global public health and also mean that large-scale epidemics may continue to occur.

Before the certification was revoked, CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the agency would continue to work with states to promote vaccination.

In order for a country to regain measles elimination certification, it must completely block the spread of the virus and prevent outbreaks for at least 12 consecutive months.