As U.S. is poised to lose measles-free status, RFK Jr.'s new CDC deputy downplays its significance

Saturday, January 24, 2026-The United States now faces a stark public health reality: after more than a year of escalating measles outbreaks that have sickened over 2,400 people, the country risks losing its long‑held measles‑free status a designation it has maintained since 2000. 

Scientists and health officials are racing against a January 20 deadline to determine whether the virus has circulated continuously for 12 months, which would trigger a formal loss of this status under international criteria. Major outbreaks in states including South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, and Texas have fueled this threat, prompting intense genetic investigations to see if strains are linked and mark ongoing transmission.

In the midst of this mounting crisis, the newly appointed principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Ralph Abraham, offered a controversial downbeat take on the situation at a recent press briefing. 

Rather than sounding alarms, Abraham described the potential loss of measles‑free status as simply “the cost of doing business” given international travel and “communities that choose to be unvaccinated,” framing it as a matter of personal freedom rather than a pressing public health failure. He dismissed concerns that losing the status would indicate widespread disease, even as measles cases hit their highest levels in decades.

Public health experts sharply disagree with this characterization, warning that dropping the measles‑free designation would reflect deeper failures in vaccination coverage, outbreak control, and public trust in basic immunization programs. Many health professionals argue that focusing on technical definitions rather than aggressively stopping the spread undermines the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations and halt preventable illness. 

With state vaccine exemptions rising and outbreaks continuing to expand, critics say leadership must pivot toward stronger immunization campaigns and community engagement if the U.S. hopes to safeguard long‑term disease control.