Public health officials warn the United States is nearing a threshold that could end its measles elimination status, as a continuing outbreak approaches a full year of uninterrupted transmission.
The outbreak began in West Texas in January 2025 and spread to other states, driving concern that sustained transmission will meet criteria used to determine whether elimination has been lost.
Experts tie the resurgence to declining vaccination rates, misinformation, access barriers, and weakened public trust in institutions—factors that complicate outbreak control and case tracking.
A formal regional review is expected in 2026, and specialists say the outcome will be an indicator of broader U.S. public health capacity and immunization coverage trends.