Measles outbreaks have infected more than 2,600 people since the beginning in 2025 with cases in all but six U.S. states.
Outbreaks of the highly contagious virus in the United States have jeopardized the nation's status as a measles-free country. Experts says the potential loss of this designation underscores the challenges of bolstering U.S. public health efforts that have been eroded by funding cuts, declining immunization rates and vaccine skepticism.
The nation's measles-free status, first declared in 2000, is "very much in doubt," said Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition.
"What took decades to build and maintain has been torn down in just a year," Juliano said. While public health officials debate the importance of the designation, one thing is clear, Juliano said.
"It highlights a dangerous trend for the health of our children," Juliano said. "We will continue to see more illness, more hospitalizations, more missed school and work days and less and less time for kids to just be kids."
