U.S. Measles Elimination Status Under Review as PAHO Panel Meets in Washington; Decision Expected Early Next Week
An independent expert commission of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is meeting in Washington, D.C., from November 10 to 13 to review whether the United States still qualifies for the measles elimination status it has held since 2000. Reuters reported on November 11 that the panel will weigh epidemiological and laboratory evidence on whether measles transmission in the United States has continued uninterrupted for 12 months or longer, with a final determination expected to be made public early next week.
Under PAHO's definition, elimination means an area has interrupted continuous local transmission for at least 12 months, backed by a high-performing surveillance system; if the same viral lineage circulates uninterrupted for 12 months, endemic transmission is considered re-established and the status is revoked. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on November 6 that confirmed measles cases in 2026 had reached 5,182 through November 5, the highest annual total since 1991, with 96 percent of cases associated with 43 outbreaks.
CDC Director Erica Schwartz told Reuters on November 10 that the agency would maintain its core response even if the country loses the designation, including cooperation with states, public awareness efforts and promotion of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The commission's recommendations go to PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa, who makes the final decision for each country.
The review is a new test of the administration's public health record. The same commission found measles endemic again in Canada at its November 2025 meeting. The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization but remains a member of PAHO, its Americas branch.
Related: CDC Data: 5,182 Confirmed U.S. Measles Cases in 2026 Through Nov. 5, More Than Double the 2025 Total
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：泛美卫生组织位于华盛顿的总部大楼（资料图）。图：CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源 / The Pan American Health Organization headquarters in Washington, D.C. (file photo). CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
