Senior CDC official Ralph Abraham stated that losing measles elimination status in the US would be a "cost of doing business" and that transmission of the virus is inevitable due to tourism[1]. In 2025, 2,242 confirmed cases of measles were reported in the US, the highest number in one year since 1991[1]. Three people died from measles in 2025, the first child deaths from the disease in the US in 20 years[2]. Canada lost its measles elimination status in November 2025, and since the US is part of the Americas, the region as a whole has also lost that status[2]. However, the USA still officially maintains its elimination status, although it could lose it in 2026, as the first cases appeared in January 2025[2]. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will discuss the US and Mexico statuses at a meeting on April 13, 2026[3]. According to CDC data, 336 confirmed cases were reported in the first three weeks of January 2026, which is more than the number of cases reported in any single year between 1993 and 2025[1].