Inside STAT: Measles outbreaks put U.S. at risk of losing prized ‘elimination’ status

A FLYER EDUCATING PARENTS ABOUT MEASLES IS DISPLAYED AT A PEDIATRICS CLINIC IN GREENBRAE, CALIF. (ERIC RISBERG/AP)

Public health officials in the U.S. are now grappling with the unpleasant prospect that the country could lose its measles-free status. Measles outbreaks have been raging in 10 states across the country, and the number of cases — more than 970 — recently topped the 25-year record. But if transmission from two of these outbreaks — in Rockland County and Brooklyn, both in New York — continue unabated, then the U.S. in September could join Venezuela and Brazil in being the only countries in the Americas where measles is endemic. And it wouldn’t just be a titular loss: It would be a sign that the U.S. could face larger epidemics that would put a strain on public health resources and make it even more difficult to contain measles. STAT’s Helen Branswell has more.