Measles in the US and the Loss of Our Nation’s Measles Elimination Status

November 14, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: vaccineexperts@evat-vax.org

Statement from Jesse Goodman, MD, MPH

Next week, the US will reportedly lose its formal measles elimination designation from the Pan American Health Organization. For the first time in 26 years, the U.S. cannot claim to have eliminated measles. This represents both a national embarrassment and the tip of a dangerous iceberg; there are already over 5,000 cases among children and adults, hundreds of hospitalizations, and 10 known deaths. If a similarly serious new infectious disease reached our shores, the nation would be in a state of panic.

Measles is now a tragic public health emergency in the U.S. and needs to be treated as such.  While state health departments have battled the outbreaks vigorously, the federal government’s leadership has been largely silent and invisible, and, at times sown misinformation and doubt, particularly about the MMR vaccine. The time is long overdue for a national, coordinated response that harnesses health care, public health, schools, and political leaders and that communicates factually and in plain language, from the highest level on down, about the status and seriousness of the outbreak and the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Without such a response, the disease will continue to burn through those who have not been immunized, putting lives, including of infants, pregnant women, and unborn children, at risk and leaving far more tragedy in its wake.

With a strong response, the U.S. can again eliminate measles and must seek to do so within the next year. Meanwhile, anyone who is unvaccinated and can safely receive the vaccine should get vaccinated, those unsure should talk to their doctors. We can help protect ourselves, our families and our communities, including those who cannot receive the vaccine because they are pregnant, less than six months old, or immune compromised. Measles is a preventable disease; rather than leaving an ongoing legacy of a deadly outbreak out of control, the administration should leave a legacy of renewed measles elimination.

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Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH, is Professor of Medicine, Georgetown University, and Former FDA Chief Scientist.