US & Mexico Measles Elimination: A Critical Review Meeting

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has announced that the United States and Mexico will participate in a virtual meeting on April 13, 2026, to review their measles elimination status. This meeting comes in the wake of measles outbreaks reported in the United States starting January 20, 2025, and in Mexico beginning February 1, 2025. The review will be conducted under the Regional Framework for the Sustainability and Reverification of Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Elimination in the Americas. While the framework mandates annual meetings, the Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission (RVC) may convene additional sessions as needed to assess the ongoing risk of reestablished endemic transmission. National health authorities and sustainability committees are preparing comprehensive reports for the RVC, which will include detailed epidemiological, laboratory, and molecular evidence. The RVC, an independent technical body reporting directly to the PAHO Director, monitors elimination progress and evaluates whether endemic transmission—a continuous chain of virus transmission lasting 12 months or more within a country—has been reestablished. The Commission reviews national data, field investigation findings, and laboratory results before making recommendations to the PAHO Director. Following this assessment, the Director formally determines each country’s measles elimination classification and communicates the decision to national authorities. PAHO emphasizes that measles outbreaks persist in communities with unvaccinated populations, highlighting the critical need for high and uniform vaccination coverage, robust surveillance, and rapid outbreak response across the region.