Tracking Emerging Public Health Challenges – January 22, 2026 – Measles
“After a year of ongoing measles outbreaks that have sickened more than 2,400 people, the United States is poised to lose its status as a measles-free country. However, the newly appointed principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ralph Abraham, said he was unbothered by the prospect at a briefing for journalists this week.
“It’s just the cost of doing business with our borders being somewhat porous for global and international travel,” Abraham said. “We have these communities that choose to be unvaccinated. That’s their personal freedom.””
““When you hear somebody like Abraham say ‘the cost of doing business,’ how can you be more callous,” said pediatrician and vaccine specialist Paul Offit, in an online discussion hosted by the health blog Inside Medicine on Jan. 20. “Three people died of measles last year in this country,” Offit added. “We eliminated this virus in the year 2000 — eliminated it. Eliminated circulation of the most contagious human infection. That was something to be proud of.””
“Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, disparaged the Trump administration’s focus on finding genetic technicalities that may spare the country’s measles-free status. “This is the wrong thing to pay attention to. Our attention has to be on stopping the outbreaks,” she said.
“If we keep our status, it should be because we have stopped the spread of measles,” she said. “It’s like they’re trying to be graded on a curve.”” (1)
“In 2026, measles will probably percolate in more communities with low vaccination rates and then put pressure on vulnerable children and adults even in highly vaccinated communities, she said. And measles isn’t the only fear.
“Measles is the canary in the coalmine,” Wells said. “As we see lower and lower vaccination rates, we could see an outbreak of rubella or polio or some of these other vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Because it is so highly contagious – it can linger in the air in a room for two hours – measles typically spreads more quickly than other infectious diseases. But preventable illnesses like polio, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough are not far behind a measles outbreak.
“Measles is a bellwether,” said James Alwine, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, a virologist, and a member of the coordinating committee of Defend Public Health. “It means that your vaccination level is so low that all the other vaccine-preventable diseases will come up with time.”” (2)
““Measles is incredibly contagious, and it is the thing that comes first when you take your foot off the gas, in terms of trying to keep vaccination levels up,” said Dr. Adam Ratner, a New York-based pediatric infectious disease specialist and author of the book “Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health.”
“It didn’t have to turn out this way,” he said. “It doesn’t help us that there haven’t been clear messages from HHS.”
In March, after the first child death from measles in more than a decade in the U.S., Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement that noted vaccines’ effectiveness in preventing measles’ spread, but stopped short of outright recommending that parents vaccinate their children.
A month later, he posted on X: “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” outraging many of his anti-vaccine supporters.”
“Late last year, the CDC altered its website on vaccines and autism to include inaccurate statements linking immunizations to the neurodevelopmental disorder. Earlier this month, the CDC abruptly slashed the number of diseases it recommends children be vaccinated against from 17 to 11.
While the CDC has not officially changed MMR vaccine recommendations, the agency’s conflicting actions and confusing statements have only further depressed vaccination rates, experts said.
“The messages that are coming out of this CDC are crazy. It’s hard for pediatricians. It’s hard for parents,” Ratner said. “Nothing has changed about how safe the MMR vaccines are … or how well they work. It is all the messaging. And I’m very concerned that that is speeding up, not slowing down.”” (3)
“Losing elimination status does not necessarily mean that travel restrictions or penalties will be put in place. But many public health experts — including many who were a part of the initial effort to get measles eliminated — said the loss would be an embarrassing statement about public health in the country.
The path to again rein in the highly contagious virus, which would require a substantial bump in vaccination rates, appears fraught now that federal health officials have repeatedly cast doubt on the safety of vaccines, said Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the C.D.C.
“Back in 2000 when we eliminated measles, we didn’t have the same politicization around vaccines,” he said. “It will become very hard, if not impossible, to achieve the levels of vaccination against measles that are required to keep it from spreading around.”” (4)
“Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses. It spreads through the air easily and can remain there for two hours after an infected person has left. Symptoms typically start one to two weeks after exposure and can include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a distinctive rash.
And a small outbreak can quickly turn into a big one.
According to the CDC, if one person has measles, up to nine out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected. While most people recover from measles without issue, young children and people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to severe complications like hospitalization, pneumonia, brain swelling and death.
The best prevention for measles is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is considered highly effective and long-lasting. The U.S. needs 95% of children to be vaccinated to maintain herd immunity, but 92.5% of kindergarteners are now vaccinated against the measles.” (5)
“Elimination is more than a label. It reflects protective immunity within a population and the capacity of the public health system to prevent sustained outbreaks. When elimination status holds:
Transmission is less likely, preventing widespread illness and death.
Health care systems avoid unnecessary strain from preventable care utilization.
Public health systems circumvent the toll of managing large outbreaks.
Vulnerable groups (i.e., infants too young for vaccination, immunocompromised people) are better protected.
Public confidence in immunization programs remains strong.” (6)
1.As US Is Poised To Lose Measles-Free Status, RFK Jr.’s New CDC Deputy Downplays Its Significance, By Amy Maxmen, https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/measles-free-status-us-cdc-ralph-abraham-paho-who-outbreaks-vaccines/
2.The return of measles: how a once-vanquished disease is spreading again, Melody Schreiber, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/21/measles-outbreak-new-cases-us
3.A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its ‘elimination’ status, By Corinne Purtill, https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2026-01-22/measles-resurgence-puts-u-s-at-risk-of-losing-its-elimination-status
4.One Year After Texas Measles Outbreak Began, Experts Consider Another Grim Milestone, By Teddy Rosenbluth and Apoorva Mandavilli, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/well/year-anniversary-measles-outbreak-elimination-status.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
5.Will the U.S. Lose Its Measles Elimination Status in 2026?, By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder, https://www.usnews.com/news/u-s-news-decision-points/articles/2026-01-07/will-the-u-s-lose-its-measles-elimination-status-in-2026
6.Understanding Current U.S. Measles Outbreaks and Elimination Status, by Jessica Baggett, Susan Kansagra, Meredith Allen, Kimberly Martin, https://www.astho.org/communications/blog/2026/understanding-current-us-measles-outbreaks-elimination-status/
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai