The US and Mexico are on the verge of forfeiting a major health victory. Here’s what to know

Detailed summary

International health experts are meeting this week to determine if the United States and Mexico have forfeited one of their greatest public health victories — the ...

NEW YORK (AP) — International health experts are meeting this week to determine if the United States and Mexico have forfeited one of their greatest public health victories — the elimination of measles.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine, but vaccines had safely stopped the virus’ spread in the U.S. for 30 years. Over those decades, measles had become a medical rarity in the U.S., with deaths from the disease virtually unheard of. But in the past two years, large outbreaks have hit multiple states, spawning thousands of illnesses, including about a dozen deaths.

Experts expect that the meeting, convened by the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO, will show that measles has officially returned to the U.S. and Mexico — that the virus is now continually spreading within the nations’ borders.

“It’s a big deal. The decision represents us moving backwards,” said Dr. David Margolius, director of Cleveland’s health department and a leader in a coalition of big U.S. city health departments.

In a closed-door meeting this week, a PAHO advisory commission is looking at genetic evidence to determine if the same measles virus has been spreading for one year or more in the outbreaks that have torn through North America starting in 2024.

“It’s solely based on genetics,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease doctor in the Pittsburgh area and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

If so, the commission will say the country can no longer be considered to have “eliminated” measles, meaning a return to sustained circulation of the virus. Last year, PAHO stripped Canada of the measles-free designation it had had since 1998.

The commission will present its determination to PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, a former Brazilian health official, who makes the final determination. An announcement of the findings is being scheduled for next week, PAHO officials said.

The CDC says loss of measles elimination status won’t change its…

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