Health Care · Report · File No. 261107-088
U.S. and Mexico face closed-door review of measles elimination status next week
The Pan American Health Organization will weigh whether the U.S. loses its measles-free status after a year of outbreaks. Wisconsin also reported an infant's measles death, the state's first in more than 30 years.
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The United States and Mexico will meet next week with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to review whether each country keeps its measles elimination status. The meeting is closed to the public and will last three days 1. PAHO is the regional health agency for the Americas.
PAHO said in March that the review would take place in November, during the regular annual meeting of its Regional Verification Commission. That body is an independent technical panel that reports to PAHO's director 2. The U.S. and Mexico had been scheduled to meet in April. The meeting was pushed back so the countries could finish what The Hill reported was "ongoing analysis" 1.
What the review will decide
A country can lose elimination status if the same measles virus spreads without a break for 12 months or more 2. PAHO set the one-year window for the U.S. from Jan. 20, 2025, and for Mexico from Feb. 1, 2025 2. The Hill reports the U.S. met one key condition for losing the status in January: one year of consistent transmission 1.
Trump health officials argued in January that 12 months of spread should not by itself mean an automatic loss. They said PAHO should also consider whether the cases share a common source 1. The region already lost its measles-free status in November 2025, after Canada was found to have re-established endemic transmission 2.
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The toll so far
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed more than 5,000 measles cases this year and nearly 7,500 since the start of 2025 1. Eight measles-related deaths have been reported across three states in 2026. The CDC recognizes only four of them as of November 1.
On Thursday, Wisconsin reported that an infant died in connection with the state's ongoing outbreak. It is the state's first measles-related death in more than 30 years. The state's Division of Public Health said the coroner listed measles as the immediate cause of death 1.
Mixed messages from Washington
Ralph Abraham, a former Louisiana surgeon general, briefly served as the CDC's principal deputy director and resigned in February. He downplayed the significance of losing elimination status in January 1.
The CDC also went roughly a year without a permanent director while the outbreaks spread. Erica Schwartz was sworn in as director in August, and The Hill says communication on the outbreaks has been scant since then 1.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke in September at a conference hosted by the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. He compared a child dying from measles with one injured by vaccines 1.
That matters because measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, and older adults are watching what happens to public health systems. The review will show whether international health experts consider the U.S. outbreak to be one continuous chain of spread. PAHO has not announced when it will publish its decision.
The Record
- PAHO's start date for the major U.S. measles outbreak, beginning a one-year analysis window 2.
- The Americas region lost its measles-free status after Canada was found to have re-established endemic transmission (PAHO said November 2025) 2.
- PAHO moved the U.S. and Mexico reviews from April to its regular November meeting 2.
- Wisconsin reported an infant's measles death, its first in more than 30 years 1.
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Sources
- The Hill, “US measles status to go up for review” (2026-11-07). thehill.com/newsletters/healthcare/6205697-us-mexico-measles
- Pan American Health Organization, “Update on the review of measles elimination status” (2026-03-02). paho.org/en/news/2-3-2026-update-review-measles-elimination-
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