Okay, here’s a revised and verified version of the provided text, addressing inaccuracies and updating information as of today, february 4, 2026.I’ve focused on correcting dates, case numbers, and clarifying discrepancies. I’ve also added a bit more context where helpful.
Several Countries at Risk of Losing Measles Elimination Status
Several European countries lost their measles elimination status in September 2025, based on data from 2024, showing sustained transmission of the virus for 12 months or longer. The World Health association (WHO) released this information in early 2026 after obtaining sign-off from all countries involved.
Source: Reuters
According to the BMJ, UK outbreaks began in late 2023 and intensified through 2024, indicating re-establishment of endemic measles transmission.
The UK first gained measles elimination status in 2016 but lost it in 2018. It regained the status in 2021 due to COVID-19 infectious disease controls, according to the UK Health Security Agency (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-and-rubella-elimination-uk/uk-measles-and-rubella-elimination).
United States and Mexico Face Review of Measles elimination Status
In November 2025, the Pan American Health organization (PAHO) revoked Canada’s measles elimination status following sustained transmission and over 5,000 reported cases.
PAHO has scheduled a virtual meeting wiht the United States and Mexico on April 13, 2026, to review their elimination status.PAHO reports that measles outbreaks were first reported in the United States on January 20, 2025, and in Mexico on February 1, 2025.
According to the CDC,the US reported 2,255 measles cases in 2025 – the highest total in 34 years,since over 9,000 cases were reported in 1991.
The 2025 total was largely driven by a critically important outbreak in Texas, which infected 762 Americans and resulted in two fatalities before being declared over in August 2025.
Measles transmission has continued into 2026. As of January 30, 2026, the CDC reports 588 confirmed cases nationally (https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html).
The current outbreak is centered in South Carolina, which has reported a cumulative total of 876 cases as of February 3, 2026 (214 in 2025 and 662 in 2026) according to the South carolina Department of health (https://dph.sc.gov/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/measles-rubeola/measles-dashboard). The CDC reports 323 cases in South Carolina in 2025.
Although the 2025 Texas outbreak and the 2025-2026 South Carolina outbreak are not linked, the US risks losing its elimination status “if it fails to prove that it can interrupt the spread of measles quickly and consistently,” according to an NPR report (https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5694681/measles-elimination-status-south-carolina-texas-outbreak).