PAHO calls for regional action as the Americas lose measles elimination status

PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa accepted the commission’s report, which followed its 4-7 November meeting in Mexico City, and said the setback is reversible with political commitment and sustained vaccination. As of 7 November, 12,596 confirmed cases had been reported across ten countries—about 95% of them in Canada, Mexico and the United States—a 30-fold increase over 2024, with 28 deaths recorded (23 in Mexico, 3 in the U.S. and 2 in Canada). The loss matters because the region was the first in the world to eliminate measles twice, and it comes as regional second-dose MMR coverage averaged just 79% in 2024, well below the 95% threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. Watch whether Canada and its neighbors can interrupt transmission and whether coverage rises toward 95% ahead of a future re-verification review.