Health Care · Report · File No. 261111-117
U.S. nears loss of measles-free status as child vaccination rates fall, NBC finds
An NBC News/Stanford analysis finds kindergarten vaccination rates dropping as measles cases pass 5,000 this year. A regional health panel meets this week and is expected to strip the U.S. of its elimination status.
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The United States is expected to lose its measles elimination status this week, according to public health experts cited by NBC News. An independent commission of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional health body, is meeting to decide the question 1. The eight-member group is made up of epidemiologists and infectious disease and vaccine experts from countries across the Americas 1.
If the U.S. loses the status, it will join Canada as the only other country in the region to have lost control of the virus 1. PAHO said the region as a whole lost its measles-free status in November 2025, after the commission found the virus spreading continuously in Canada 2.
The numbers
In 2000, the whole country had only about 100 confirmed measles cases 1. This year there have been more than 5,000 confirmed cases and 43 new outbreaks 1. Eight people have died, including four babies too young to be vaccinated 1.
An updated NBC News/Stanford University analysis found a sharp drop in childhood vaccination rates, especially in vulnerable areas 1. In hard-hit Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 87.6% of kindergarteners got the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine in 2025-26. Before the pandemic, the figure was 95.5% 1.
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Measles spreads easily enough that a 95% immunization rate is needed to stop it 1. NBC reports that the country's immunity was worn down by decades of scientifically dubious claims about childhood vaccines, and that misinformation then exploded during the pandemic 1.
How the decision works
PAHO says the review looks at whether the same strain of virus has circulated without a break for 12 months or more in one area 2. For the U.S., the count starts from the outbreak's onset on Jan. 20, 2025 2. PAHO said U.S. health authorities are running their own analysis, including full viral genome sequencing 2.
The commission reports to the PAHO director, who then tells national authorities the country's classification 2. This article does not report a final decision. NBC says only that experts expect the U.S. to lose the status 1.
The political backdrop
The same NBC newsletter notes that President Donald Trump has installed Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff 1. It says advocates of the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement are excited about Miller's new post 1. NBC's report does not link Miller or the administration to the measles trend.
Democrats have reacted sharply to Miller's promotion. Rep. Jamie Raskin said Miller, the face of hard-line immigration enforcement, [quote]
might not be able to engage in any kind of course correction.
Analysis: That matters because a measles-free status is a basic public health benchmark. Losing it points to falling vaccination, which is the area where the federal government sets the tone. How the administration responds, and how Democrats use their new oversight powers in January, are the questions to watch.
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Sources
- NBC News, “U.S. on verge of losing measles-free status and Democrats brace for Stephen Miller clashes: Morning Rundown” (2026-11-11). nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-measles-vaccination-stephen-mill
- PAHO, “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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