Expert meeting on US measles elimination status delayed to November

By Kamal Choudhury

March 2 (Reuters) – A meeting of an international panel of experts that was set to review the United States’ measles elimination status next month has been postponed until November, the Pan American Health Organization said on Monday.

U.S. health officials asked for the delay to allow more time for measles data analysis, said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

PAHO is convening the panel to assess whether the ongoing spread of measles in the U.S., which began January last year with an outbreak in Texas, means the U.S. should lose the elimination status.

The U.S. has had the status, indicating it has not had continuous measles transmission for more than a year, since 2000.

Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeated a debunked theory that the measles vaccine may cause autism despite a lack of scientific evidence, the U.S. has had more than 1,000 measles cases already in 2026. Most of them are in South Carolina, where an outbreak continues.

“The additional time will allow for a thorough and transparent assessment of the 2025 measles outbreaks, including comprehensive genomic sequencing and advanced analysis,” Nixon said.

The meeting will take place during PAHO’s regular annual meeting, the organization told Reuters.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that causes fever and rashes. It can be prevented with the MMR vaccine, which offers strong protection with two doses.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s acting director, Jay Bhattacharya, urged Americans to get the measles vaccine, calling it the best protection against the fast‑spreading virus.

He said the agency was increasing support to states and was ready to provide staffing, laboratory support and vaccines when requested.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto, Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)