Measles genomes trigger U.S. status review

Closely related measles genomes from Texas and Utah are raising the stakes for the U.S. case that measles has not spread continuously inside the country for more than a year.

1. Frame 1Closely related measles genomes put the U.S. measles-free designation under a new public-health test.
2. Frame 2Keeping the status requires showing measles has not spread continuously inside the country for more than a year.
3. Frame 3West Texas cases began in January 2025; all but a handful of states have reported cases since.
4. Frame 4Two unvaccinated Texas girls and a New Mexico adult died before the West Texas outbreak burned out.
5. Frame 5Utah May 2026 virus sequences were very closely related to Texas sequences from over a year earlier.
6. Frame 6PAHO moved its review to November while CDC and state labs continue tracing outbreak links.