US has lost measles elimination status, authorities say : NPR

Key Points:

• The U.S. has lost its measles elimination status, as the Pan American Health Organization concluded that regular measles transmission has been reestablished in the country after sporadic outbreaks began lasting over a year.
• Over the past two years, more than 8,000 people have contracted measles in the U.S., resulting in over 830 hospitalizations and 13 deaths, with outbreaks costing an estimated $125 million in healthcare and productivity losses.
• The resurgence is attributed to vaccination gaps that widened before the current administration, declining childhood vaccination rates since the COVID-19 pandemic, and controversial leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services, including the spread of vaccine misinformation.
• Under the Trump administration, funding for immunization programs was cut, vaccine hesitancy research was halted, and key CDC reports on measles outbreaks were delayed or suppressed, undermining public health responses and communication.
• To regain elimination status, the U.S. must end current outbreaks and prevent future ones from lasting beyond a year, a goal complicated by ongoing vaccine misinformation, reduced vaccination rates, and expanding outbreaks in multiple states.