CDC Chief Says Measles Response Will Stay the Same if Status Falls
CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz says the agency will keep working with states and promoting vaccination even if the United States loses its measles-free status. A Pan American Health Organization panel is expected to decide the status in the coming days, as confirmed cases rise.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said the agency will keep its measles response in place if the United States loses its elimination status, as the country records nearly 5,200 confirmed cases in 2026.
The decision could affect the United States’ official standing as measles-free, a status it has held since 2000. Global health experts convened by the Pan American Health Organization are expected to decide in the coming days whether the country has lost it.
Schwartz said she expects a decision by early next week. “We’re going to be doing the same exact thing that we’ve been doing today, which is working with the states,” she said.
The CDC will continue helping states raise awareness and emphasize vaccination, Schwartz said. The agency identifies the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, as the main way to prevent measles.
The country has recorded nearly 5,200 confirmed measles cases in 2026, compared with 2,289 in all of 2025. State health departments have reported 11 deaths since early last year.
Schwartz said tightly connected communities were a primary source of infections. She cited outbreaks in religious groups with lower vaccination rates, including Amish communities in Pennsylvania.
“The real focus is why are we not leaning in on these close-knit communities to make sure that they understand that the number one way of preventing measles is the MMR vaccine,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz took over the CDC directorship after her confirmation in August. She inherited an outbreak that had worsened since the previous year.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC and other health agencies, has questioned the MMR vaccine’s safety and effectiveness and sought to reduce childhood immunizations, the report said. Medical experts have said his statements and actions have contributed to falling vaccination rates.
In August, President Donald Trump and Kennedy announced an executive order calling for the MMR vaccine to be split into three separate shots. Pharmaceutical companies said the change could take years, while doctors warned it could confuse families.
Schwartz also rejected reports that Kennedy and his senior deputies had pressured her or the agency. She said she speaks with Kennedy daily and that CDC decisions rest with her.
