The California Department of Public Health is sounding the alarm as the state sees a troubling uptick in measles cases, with health officials warning that the highly contagious virus could be making an alarming comeback. What this really means is that the hard-won progress made in eliminating measles in the U.S. could be unraveling, putting vulnerable populations at serious risk.
Unvaccinated Travelers Fuel Spread
According to the California Department of Public Health, the first measles case of 2026 was reported in San Mateo County, involving an unvaccinated adult who likely contracted the disease while traveling abroad. This underscores a larger trend - outbreaks across the U.S. have been linked to unvaccinated individuals bringing the virus back from international trips.
The bigger picture here is that declining vaccination rates, fueled by misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, have left communities susceptible to the highly contagious disease. As the CDC explains, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but outbreaks have resurged in recent years as vaccination coverage has dropped below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.
Measles Outbreaks Threaten Hard-Won Progress
Worryingly, the U.S. is now at risk of losing its measles elimination status, which would be a major public health setback. As the LA Times reports, the Pan American Health Organization will evaluate whether the U.S. has maintained continuous measles elimination in April 2026. Given the outbreaks that have raged across multiple states, this designation could be in jeopardy.
The implications are grave - losing elimination status would be an "embarrassment" and "another nail in the coffin for the credibility of this country," according to infectious disease expert Dr. John Swartzberg. It would also signal that a vaccine-preventable disease has regained a foothold, with the potential for devastating consequences, especially for unvaccinated children and immunocompromised individuals.
As this article from CNN outlines, the U.S. reported over 2,200 measles cases in 2025 - the highest yearly total in decades. With outbreaks continuing to emerge, public health experts warn that 2026 could be even worse, potentially marking the start of a deadly measles comeback if vaccination rates don't improve quickly.