These diseases are gone, so why vaccinate?
Here is what the checked sources say. Each title links to the original.
Historical comparisons of morbidity and mortality for vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States
This study compared US case and death counts for 13 diseases before vaccines with recent data (cases from 2006, deaths from 2004). Cases of diphtheria, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus fell more than 92%, and deaths 99% or more. As of that period, endemic spread of polio, measles and rubella had been eliminated in the US, and smallpox eradicated worldwide; cases of most vaccine-preventable diseases were at an all-time low. The comparisons were not adjusted for other factors.
Canada loses measles elimination status after record year of outbreaks
CIDRAP reported that in November 2025, after 12 months of sustained spread of the same measles strain, Canada lost the measles elimination status it had held since 1998. Canadian officials had confirmed 5,162 cases for 2025 by late October, and two preterm infants exposed to measles before birth died. Under PAHO rules, sustained transmission in Canada also ended the Americas region's elimination designation. CIDRAP said regional cases rose 30-fold in 2025 versus 2024, and that falling vaccination rates can contribute to losing elimination status.
Measles elimination status in the United States and Mexico
On 16 January 2026 PAHO said its independent verification commission had invited the United States and Mexico to review whether they still count as measles-free, after outbreaks that began in early 2025. The commission judges whether endemic spread has returned, defined as the same virus genotype and lineage circulating uninterrupted for 12 months or more, using national reports, epidemiological and laboratory data, molecular evidence and field investigations. PAHO said outbreaks "feed on unvaccinated populations to continue spreading."
Update on the review of measles elimination status
In a 2 March 2026 update, PAHO said its review of whether the United States and Mexico still count as measles-free would take place at its verification commission's regular annual meeting in November 2026. The analysis period runs one year from each outbreak's start: 20 January 2025 for the US, 1 February 2025 for Mexico. The commission assesses whether the same virus genotype and lineage circulated uninterrupted for 12 months or more; PAHO said US health authorities were still doing full viral genome sequencing. The update reported no decision.
Understanding Current U.S. Measles Outbreaks and Elimination Status
This ASTHO post, dated January 21, 2026, says measles has not gone away. Citing CDC, it reports 2,144 confirmed US cases in 2025, the worst year in over three decades, with 49 outbreaks and three deaths, versus 285 cases in 2024. Of 2025 cases, 93% were in unvaccinated and 3% in under- vaccinated people; the post does not define these groups or compare risk. The Americas lost measles elimination status in November 2025 after spread persisted in Canada. Elimination does not mean zero cases, only that local chains of spread are interrupted.