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Eight public health officials advising a United Nations arm will decide this week if the U.S. can still claim it has eliminated measles. This decision could define the legacy of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic. The officials must determine if a single chain of transmission has persisted for at least a year to revoke the measles-elimination status, as reported by Politico.
The potential loss of elimination status comes as Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement struggles to stay politically relevant in the Trump administration. Since Kennedy took over the health department, measles vaccination rates have declined, with kindergarten coverage now at 92.4%, below the 95% needed for herd immunity.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will review the U.S. status, with PBS NewsHour noting that the U.S. confirmed 2,144 measles cases across 44 states last year, the most since 1991. The decline in vaccination rates is attributed to parental waivers, healthcare access issues, and disinformation.
Kennedy has faced criticism for his handling of public health, with former Surgeon General Jerome Adams calling for his removal. Critics argue that the administration's mixed messaging on vaccine safety has worsened the situation. James Colgrove, a professor at Columbia University, said, "We’ve never been in a situation where the head of a prominent government health agency was a science denier."
The U.S. was once a leader in containing measles, achieving elimination status in 2000. However, the disease began spreading again after vaccination rates declined during the Covid pandemic. According to Al Jazeera, PAHO documented 1,031 measles cases in the Americas in the first three weeks of 2026 alone.
The decision on the U.S. measles status is expected to be announced soon, with significant implications for Kennedy's political future and public health policy in the country.