Measles outbreak in Arizona and Utah could end U.S. elimination status

A measles outbreak in Arizona and Utah shows no sign of slowing, putting the United States dangerously close to losing its elimination status.

A measles outbreak in Arizona and Utah shows no sign of slowing, putting the United States dangerously close to losing its elimination status for the vaccine-preventable disease.

With holiday travel and gatherings approaching, doctors worry that transmission could escalate. If measles continues to spread through Jan. 20, that will mark a year of sustained transmission in the United States. At that point, the disease would no longer be considered eliminated and it would instead revert to being endemic, or constantly present.

The backward step seems highly likely.

“These pockets of communities that have low vaccination rates — if we’re not able to get them vaccinated before the holidays, we are very much at risk of going into 2026 and losing U.S. measles elimination status,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of the Health Observatory at Arizona State University.

Canada lost its measles elimination status this month, having recorded more than 5,000 cases since October 2024.