PAHO Panel Reviews U.S. Measles-Free Status After 7,000 Cases as RFK Jr. Faces Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Nov 6
PAHO Panel Reviews U.S. Measles-Free Status After 7,000 Cases as RFK Jr. Faces Scrutiny
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Nov 6
Summary
Eight public health officials advising the Pan American Health Organization will decide this week whether the United States can still claim measles elimination.
More than 7,000 infections have been reported nationwide since January 2025, with outbreaks spreading through Pennsylvania and New York already under a state of emergency.
The panel must determine whether a single chain of transmission has persisted for at least 12 months, the threshold for stripping elimination status.
For Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the ruling could define his handling of the epidemic as he tries to contain it while pushing to shrink the childhood vaccine schedule and opposing school vaccine mandates.
CDC officials and outside experts met in Atlanta days earlier to discuss how to regain control of the outbreaks and avoid losing the country’s measles-free designation.