A U.N. agency claimed the measles outbreak in North America could threaten the region’s decadeslong designation of having eliminated the virus. 

The Pan-American Health Organization, which is the World Health Organization’s regional office for the Americas, published a report last week stating that the United States is in danger of losing its measles elimination status. 

The U.S. was first declared measles-free by the WHO in 2000. However, recent outbreaks in Texas, where a child died from the virus last month, and other states have led Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to recommend the measles vaccine. 

At the time the PAHO report was published, the agency said it had found 164 measles cases across nine states, with the majority of the cases in Texas. Most people infected were between 5 and 19 years old and unvaccinated, PAHO stated. Outbreaks are defined as three or more cases.

“In 2024, the Americas Region was again verified as measles-free, while maintaining the elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). However, the recent identification of multiple measles outbreaks and cases, including some fatal ones, in countries and territories of the region, puts this achievement at risk,” the report reads. 

The death in Texas marked the first mortality recorded due to measles in the U.S. since 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The measles outbreak in the Lone Star State is largely contained in a Mennonite community that errs on the side of personal choice regarding vaccines and doesn’t have robust interactions with the traditional health system. 

DOGE TERMINATES PLANS FOR A MUSEUM EXHIBIT DEDICATED TO ANTHONY FAUCI

“I have spoken with Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas health officials, committing to providing them any additional support they need to bring this outbreak to an end. I have also spoken to the bereaved parents of the deceased child to offer consolation,” Kennedy wrote in a recent opinion piece. 

“We must engage with communities to understand their concerns, provide culturally competent education, and make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them,” the health and human services secretary continued. “All parents should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options to get the MMR vaccine. The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”