US Loses Measles Elimination Status After 2,295 Cases Hit 35-Year High
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jul 23
US Loses Measles Elimination Status After 2,295 Cases Hit 35-Year High
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jul 23
Summary
Utah’s outbreak has continued since June 2025, pushing the US past the 12-month transmission limit that underpins measles elimination status for the first time in 25 years.
2,295 confirmed cases by July 21 already exceed all of 2025, and the last two years together have topped the combined US measles total of the previous 25 years.
Nearly 400 people have been hospitalized across 2025 and 2026, three have died, and at least three suffered brain swelling with lasting symptoms as low and falling vaccination rates fuel mostly domestic outbreaks.
The CDC is finalizing a January 2025-June 2026 review this month, with a specialist committee and the Pan American Health Organization expected to assess the US status formally this fall.
Utah pediatricians say hesitancy driven by social media, politics and eroding trust is sending unvaccinated children into hospitals, underscoring warnings that other vaccine-preventable diseases could return.