U.S. media on the 13th reported the Pan American Health Organization has decided
not to recognize the U.S. as measles-free, citing people familiar with the
matter in the Wall Street Journal and CNN. PAHO is the World Health
Organization’s regional body. WHO requires at least 12 consecutive months
without local transmission of the same measles strain to confer measles-free
status. The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000; since 2025 U.S. measles
cases have exceeded the cumulative total recorded from 2000–2024.
