Confirmed U.S. measles cases reached 5,412 as of November 12, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker, marking the nation’s most severe resurgence of the disease since 1991.
PAHO Commission Reviews U.S. Elimination Status in Washington
The Pan American Health Organization’s Measles and Rubella Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission examined genetic evidence to decide if a single strain of the virus has spread continuously within U.S. borders for 12 months or more.
The clock on the evaluation period began on January 20, 2025, with an outbreak in West Texas, according to Your Local Epidemiologist. A country loses its elimination designation if transmission is re-established and continues uninterrupted for at least 12 months. At its November 2025 meeting, the independent technical body classified the U.S. measles status as “sustained with major concerns”.
Stanford University pediatric infectious diseases specialist Yvonne Maldonado, who served as a representative for the National Vaccine Advisory Committee during the session, recalls feeling “cautious optimism” afterward. Jonathan Temte attended the 2000 elimination meeting representing the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“One could hypothesize that they didn't want to annoy the administration before the election. I don't know if that's true,” speculated Tom Frieden, who led the CDC from 2009 to 2017 and now runs Resolve to Save Lives, regarding the regional verification commission possibly not wanting to meet until after the U.S. midterm elections.
“It's a loss of standing. It's a loss of stature. It's a loss of achievement,” Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University's Pandemic Center, said, describing the potential loss as a symbolic loss rather than a bond rating or criminal penalty.
As a professor of epidemiology and global public health, Aubree Gordon also directs the Michigan Center for Infectious Disease Threats and Pandemic Preparedness.
Other experts watching the developments include Jon Zelner, an associate professor of epidemiology; Laraine Washer, medical director of infection control for the U-M Health System and Medical School and clinical professor of internal medicine; and Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor in the Pittsburgh area and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Six Deaths Reported in Pennsylvania and Eight Nationwide
State health officials have confirmed eight measles-associated deaths nationwide in 2026. Pennsylvania leads the nation with six deaths confirmed by the state department of health. New York recorded a child death on election day in its first measles-related fatality in more than 30 years, followed days later by the death of an infant in Wisconsin reported by the state health services department.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported six measles-related deaths in its provisional figures published on Thursday, November 12. The variance followed a September 4 administrative change in how the CDC tracks mortality trends, shifting to data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Economic Toll Projected at Nearly $83 Million
Johns Hopkins University researchers developed a tool that calculates the economic burden of the outbreaks at approximately $83 million, based on 2026 case numbers. That total breaks down across public health responses, lost wages, and direct medical care.
| Cost Category | Estimated Total |
|---|---|
| Public health response costs | $56 million |
| Lost productivity | Almost $25 million |
| Direct medical expenses | More than $1.8 million |
By comparison, the 2,289 confirmed measles cases across the U.S. in 2025 carried an economic cost of more than $37 million, according to the tracking tool. For New York’s 48 cases in 2025, specific modeling projected a $1.1 million economic impact, comprising nearly $749,000 in public health response efforts, $333,000 in lost productivity, and about $24,500 in direct medical costs.
MMR Vaccination Rates Fall Below Herd Immunity Thresholds
National kindergarten vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella have fallen to 92.4 percent, dropping below the 95 percent threshold required to maintain herd immunity, according to the CDC. A study published in Nature in January found numerous counties across the country with MMR coverage under 60 percent, while 18 states reported overall rates below 90 percent.
“Success now depends on how earnestly we focus on this moment and how much energy we really put into thinking carefully about the strategies that we need,” said Amber Savin Hamilton, speaking on the shifting epidemiology and the need to reach both children and unprotected adults.
Meanwhile, political and community reactions have varied across the country following the elections. Voters ushered in a new class of medical and public health experts, including Senator-elect Annie Andrews, a pediatrician in South Carolina who has called Robert F. Kennedy Jr. her professional archnemesis.
Just after the election, Donald Trump elevated Stephen Miller to chief of staff, whom Kennedy praised on social media as the strongest MAHA supporter in the administration.
Public health experts emphasize that vaccine supplies remain ample and that two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing infection.
“Loss of measles elimination status in the US signals to the world that we are not up to this task and may diminish their own aspirations to achieve and sustain measles elimination,” William Moss, MD, MPH, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said.
Earlier coverage: US Measles Elimination Status Under Review Amid Surge in Cases
