Mexico could be at risk of losing measles elimination status after more than 9,000 cases since last year
Mexico could be at risk of losing its measles elimination status as the virus continues to spread across the country.
As of Wednesday, more than 9,100 measles cases have been confirmed since the beginning of last year with at least 28 deaths, according to Mexico's Secretariat of Health.
The majority of cases have occurred in children between ages 1 and 9, accounting for more than 2,400 infections, health agency data shows.
A measles outbreak began in Mexico on Feb. 1 in the northwestern state of Chihuahua. It's unclear if Chihuahua's cases are linked to those in other states; if so, it would mean Mexico has seen a year of continuous transmission.
If it's determined that Mexico has experienced 12 months of continuous measles transmission, it could lead to a loss of the country's elimination status that was earned in 1996. Measles would once again be considered endemic or constantly circulating.
The loss of status is determined by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), an agency of the United Nations that oversees international health in the Americas.
An independent body of experts established by the PAHO -- known as the Measles, Rubella, and Congenital Rubella Syndrome Elimination Regional Monitoring and Re-Verification Commission -- meets at least once a year to monitor and re-verify measles and rubella elimination among countries in the region.
PAHO recently invited Mexico and the U.S. to meet virtually on April 13 to review their respective elimination statuses.
The agency also issued an epidemiological alert last week, warning that measles is spreading throughout the Americas.
"The sharp increase in measles cases ... is a warning sign that requires immediate and coordinated action by Member States," PAHO wrote in its alert, urging member countries to prioritize strengthening regular surveillance and vaccination efforts.
"The implementation of active community, institutional, and laboratory searches for early case identification, as well as developing complementary vaccination activities aimed at closing immunity gaps is also recommended," the organization wrote.
The alert also stated that, in Mexico, out of about 7,000 measles patients with known vaccination status, 91.2% had no vaccine history. Additionally, 6.2% had received one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and 2.65% had received two or more MMR doses.
Similarly, in the U.S.. officials recorded 2,276 cases of measles, the highest number of cases seen in 33 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. also saw its first measles deaths in more than a decade, including two among unvaccinated school-aged children in Texas and one among an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.
So far this year, the U.S. has seen 733 cases, with four times as many cases being recorded in a few weeks compared to what the country usually sees in an entire calendar year.
Jan. 20 marked one year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, with infections soon spreading to neighboring counties and states such as Utah and South Carolina reporting their own outbreaks.
Public health experts previously told ABC News that if cases in other states are found to be linked to the cases in Texas, it would mean the virus has been spreading for a year, which could lead to a loss of elimination status.
In November, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it was informed of the elimination status loss by PAHO after more than 12 months of continuous measles transmission. Canada's outbreak began in late October 2024, and the county has seen more than 5,200 confirmed and probable cases since then, data from the health agency shows.
