PAHO weighs whether US still measles-free: CDC says its response won't change

Global health experts convened by the Pan American Health Organization are reviewing whether the United States has lost its measles elimination status, an achievement it has held since 2000. PAHO asked all 35 member states in the Americas to submit measles status reports for review by a panel of outside experts. Deliberations are closed-door in Washington during an annual meeting that runs until 13 November. CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said she expects a PAHO decision by early next week.

The review follows the highest number of measles infections in the U.S. in more than three decades. Thousands of Americans have contracted measles since early 2025.

Schwartz said the CDC will not fundamentally change its measles response even if elimination status is lost. A PAHO ruling would not change vaccine advice or school rules on its own.

Elimination status is a technical designation, not a switch that alters clinical guidance. It means an absence of continuous transmission for 12 months or more in a defined area. Losing it signals that measles is spreading continuously again. It does not mean the virus is everywhere, and it does not mean individual risk changes overnight for vaccinated people.

Experts say his actions to reduce childhood immunizations have increased vaccine hesitancy.

For families, the practical takeaways do not depend on the PAHO decision.

On the evidence so far, little at the federal level. The CDC has said its response will not fundamentally change. No new vaccine guidance or school rules have been announced.

The next concrete event is the PAHO decision, expected by early next week. Until then, the U.S. remains under review, not stripped of status.