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By Gabe Whisnant
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Canada’s loss of its measles elimination status is raising alarms about how close the United States may be to the same fate, as cases surge and vaccination rates slip across the Americas.
The United States still holds its measles elimination status, achieved in 2000, but health officials warn it is under threat after the country’s worst year for measles in more than three decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 1,681 cases and 44 outbreaks so far this year. Only nine states have not reported a case.
Is There a Measles Outbreak in Texas?
A major outbreak earlier this year that spread across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma sickened nearly 900 people and killed three before it was brought under control. New clusters have since emerged, including 34 cases in South Carolina and an outbreak along the Arizona-Utah border that has sickened more than 150 people since mid-August.
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Those numbers have U.S. public health officials watching closely as Canada becomes the latest warning sign.
Canada Loses Measles Elimination Status: What It Means
On Monday, international health experts said Canada is no longer considered measles-free after more than a year of ongoing outbreaks. The Pan American Health Organization determined that measles has circulated continuously in parts of Canada for at least 12 months, the threshold for losing elimination status. Canada had been measles-free since 1998.
So far this year, Canada has reported 5,138 measles cases and two deaths. Both deaths were infants who were exposed to the virus in the womb and born prematurely.
Measles elimination is largely a symbolic designation, but it represents a major public health achievement. A country can still record occasional cases from travelers and keep the status, but it must show there is no uninterrupted spread of the virus inside its borders.
Measles usually begins with a high fever and causes a rash that starts on the face and neck. While most patients recover, the disease remains one of the leading causes of death among young children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Serious complications, including pneumonia, blindness and brain swelling, are more likely in young children and adults over age 30.
Canada eliminated measles in 1998, followed by the United States two years later. Aggressive vaccination campaigns helped drive the virus out of the Americas, and in 2016 the region was declared measles-free. Health officials estimate measles vaccination prevented 6.2 million deaths in the Americas between 2000 and 2023.
But vaccination coverage has declined in many countries, dropping below the roughly 95% level needed to prevent outbreaks. Large outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil in 2018 and 2019 cost the Americas their measles-free status. The region regained the designation in 2024, only to lose it again with Canada’s reversal.
Measles is also spreading in Mexico. In the northern state of Chihuahua, health officials have confirmed 4,430 cases and 21 deaths as of last week, according to state data.
Mexican and U.S. officials say genetic testing shows the measles strains circulating in Canada match those in the Texas and Chihuahua outbreaks. All three have heavily affected Mennonite Christian communities whose members trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas.
In August, officials reported related outbreaks in Mennonite communities in Belize, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Mennonite churches do not formally oppose vaccination, but more conservative communities have historically low vaccination rates and deep distrust of government health programs.
Last month, the Pan American Health Organization reported more than 12,000 measles cases this year in at least 10 countries in the Americas, most of them in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Bolivia has recorded nearly 400 measles cases.
Why are parents refusing the measles vaccine?
Parents who refuse or delay the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine often cite a mix of safety fears, mistrust and misinformation. Some say they worry more about potential side effects and vaccine ingredients than about measles itself, even though health officials stress that the shot has a long track record of safety and serious reactions are rare. A long-debunked claim linking the MMR shot to autism continues to circulate online and in some communities, fueling confusion and doubt. Other parents object on religious or philosophical grounds, or say they prefer “natural” immunity despite repeated outbreaks in under-vaccinated groups. Public health experts say declining trust in government and medical institutions since the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder to persuade some families to keep children up to date on routine shots.
Can you get measles if you're vaccinated?
Yes, it is still possible to get measles if you are vaccinated, but it is uncommon. The measles vaccine is highly effective, preventing the vast majority of cases, especially in people who have received the recommended two doses. Because no vaccine is 100% protective, a small number of “breakthrough” infections can occur when vaccinated people are exposed to the virus, particularly during large outbreaks. Doctors say those cases are typically milder, shorter and far less likely to lead to serious complications such as pneumonia or brain swelling.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Updates: 11/10/25, 1 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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