Measles Elimination Status: What It Is and How the U.S. Could Lose It Author: Josh Michaud Published: Apr 7, 2026

https://www.kff.org/other-health/measles-elimination-status-what-it-is-and-how-the-u-s-could-lose-it/ Measles has been officially “eliminated” from the U.S. since 2000, which means the country had not seen very large outbreaks and had not had 12 months or more of uncontrolled domestic transmission of the virus since before that time. However, a series of measles outbreaks began in the U.S. in early 2025 that continue today: from January 2025 through the end of March 2026, U.S. states have reported over 3,800 measles cases. Several factors have contributed to the ongoing transmission of measles in the U.S. These include funding and staffing cuts for public health efforts at the federal, state, and local levels that have affected measles prevention and response efforts across the country, along with mixed messages from federal health officials such as Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. regarding measles response at the same time there has been no Senate-confirmed leader at CDC for almost the whole period since these outbreaks began. Further, there is increased skepticism among the public about the safety and effectiveness of measles vaccines and a decline in trust of health authorities in general, which has contributed to lower measles vaccination rates and complicated outreach and communication efforts in addressing the current outbreak.