US CDC will not change measles response even if it loses measles-free status, director says

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will not fundamentally change its response to measles outbreaks even if the US loses its measles elimination status this month, CDC Director Dr Erica Schwartz told Reuters on Tuesday. Global health experts convened by the Pan American Health Organization will determine in the coming days whether the US has lost its official measles-free status, a hard-won public health achievement it has held since 2000.Many disease experts say that is likely to be the case as the country battles the highest number of infections in more than three decades. Thousands of Americans have contracted measles since early 2025, when the Trump administration took office.Schwartz said she expected a PAHO decision by early next week."Let's say we did lose our measles elimination status. We're going to be doing the same exact thing that we've been doing today, which is working with the states," Schwartz said in an interview.The CDC will make sure "we are leaning in to help them provide awareness about measles, emphasizing, reemphasizing that the number one way to prevent measles is the MMR (combined measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine," she said.Schwartz, confirmed as CDC director in August, inherited a raging measles outbreak that has worsened since last year.