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US Measles Elimination Status Under Threat
6 Jan
Summary
- US officials build case against measles outbreak links to Texas.
- WHO requires 12 months without local transmission for elimination status.
- New genetic analysis techniques aid in tracking measles origins.
U.S. public health officials are building a case to demonstrate that ongoing measles outbreaks in South Carolina and other states are not linked to the major outbreak that began in Texas in January 2025. The United States risks losing its measles elimination status, a designation held since 2000, if it cannot prove a lack of local transmission for a continuous 12-month period, as required by the World Health Organization. This status is a critical indicator of national health.
Proving these cases are unrelated is crucial. Scientists are employing traditional contact tracing and interviews, alongside newer genetic sequencing techniques to compare viral DNA. While some state-level analyses, like Utah's, suggest the strains are different, experts acknowledge the difficulty in definitively linking or unlinking cases in widespread outbreaks, especially in communities with low trust in public health systems.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting comprehensive genetic analysis, with early, unpublished evidence indicating the outbreaks may not be connected. However, a complete epidemiological link may be impossible to establish due to the broad circulation of the virus. The Pan American Health Organization will ultimately assess the U.S. data to decide on its elimination status.
