With World’s Richest Economies Losing Measles-Free Status, Can India Hit Its 2026 Elimination Goal?

Last Updated:January 27, 2026, 15:53 IST

According to WHO data, measles mortality fell by 88% between 2000 and 2024, and an estimated 59 million lives have been saved by vaccination since the turn of the millennium

In India, measles elimination would not only prevent deaths but reduce the burden on an already stretched healthcare system and improve childhood health outcomes (Image: Getty)

The UK has lost its measles elimination status, meaning the virus has been circulating for more than a year. While wealthy nations like the US, Canada, Spain and Austria stumble, India is pushing hard for measles elimination in 2026, a rare bid for progress.

Measles, a disease completely preventable through vaccination, yet its extreme contagiousness means it is often the first disease to return when immunisation rates fall. While it typically causes fever and rash, it can also trigger severe complications and, in some cases, be fatal.

Within the past decade, the UK has gained, lost and regained its elimination status, according to an update posted on 26 January by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The country first eliminated measles in 2016, only to see a resurgence in 2018 alongside much of Europe. It regained the status in 2021, when the measures taken to curb COVID-19 reduced travel, social distancing and heightened public health vigilance also drove down measles cases. Similarly, a November 2025 World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that while measles deaths have dropped dramatically over the past two decades, the number of infections is once again surging across the world.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, warned that measles continues to expose weaknesses in public health systems worldwide. “Measles is the world’s most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it. Measles does not respect borders, but when every child in every community is vaccinated against it, costly outbreaks can be avoided, lives can be saved, and this disease can be eliminated from entire nations.”

What Does ‘Measles Elimination Status’ Mean?

Measles elimination status is more than a bureaucratic label. It signals that a country has halted continuous, endemic transmission of a highly contagious illness for at least 12 consecutive months an achievement that reflects robust vaccination coverage, strong disease surveillance and sustained public health investment.

For much of the 21st century, high-income nations treated measles elimination as virtually irreversible. In 2000, the United States declared it had eliminated the disease. Later, the Region of the Americas, a grouping including Canada, the US and many Latin American states became the first health region in the world to gain and then regain measles-free status. Measles was also considered absent from large parts of Europe and the United Kingdom after similar achievements.

But in 2025 and 2026, these certainties have begun to unravel. Countries that once stood as poster children for vaccine success are instead sounding alarms about outbreaks, dipping vaccination rates, and the real prospect of losing the status they spent decades earning. These developments are reshaping how the world thinks about measles, vaccine trust and what it takes to protect entire populations.

Why Is Measles Making A Comeback Across The World?

Infections that once seemed on the brink of permanent retreat are coming back with surprising force. The United Kingdom officially lost its measles elimination status in early 2026 after a sustained rise in cases and a drop in vaccine uptake. England alone logged 2,911 confirmed cases in 2024, the highest number since 2012 while coverage of both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine dipped to around the mid-80s percentile, far below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently announced that the entire Region of the Americas — free of endemic measles since 2016 no longer meets the criteria for elimination. Transmission in Canada and persistent outbreaks in the US and Mexico underlie this reversal.

Across the Atlantic, Canada’s elimination status was revoked in late 2025 after over 5,000 confirmed infections and evidence of endemic transmission lasting more than a year. Once a statistic-free country for measles, it now battles outbreaks in provinces from Ontario to Alberta, a stark reminder that the disease exploits vulnerabilities wherever they appear.

In the United States, the situation remains fluid and serious. Following a major outbreak that began in West Texas in 2025 and spread to multiple states, federal and WHO officials indicate the country is on the brink of losing its own measles-free designation. In 2025 alone, more than 2,200 confirmed cases were reported across 44 states, the highest tally in over three decades. This surge reflects declines in immunisation coverage, public wariness about vaccines and uneven investment in public health infrastructure.

The resurgence across these high-income nations highlights a simple epidemiological truth: measles remains among the most contagious viruses known. With a basic reproductive number (R₀) between 12 and 18, one infectious individual can infect many others in populations where immunity dips even marginally. Once vaccination coverage slips below the critical threshold, outbreaks are not just possible they are expected.

Why is Measles Still A Global Threat?

Even in December 2025, when global measles deaths are far lower than at the turn of the century, the toll remains troublingly significant. According to WHO data, measles mortality fell by 88% between 2000 and 2024, and an estimated 59 million lives have been saved by vaccination since the turn of the millennium. Yet the disease still claimed around 95,000 lives in 2024, mostly among children under five, with many more suffering serious complications like pneumonia, blindness or encephalitis.

Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have also lost their measles elimination status, prompting the WHO to urge countries to urgently raise vaccination coverage, especially among under-protected communities, to curb further spread among children.

What Is India’s Measles Status?

In India, the public health narrative is tracking in the opposite direction. After reporting 8,035 measles cases between April and October 2025 placing it among the top ten countries for outbreaks the government launched an ambitious campaign aimed at achieving measles and rubella elimination by 2026.

Known as the National Zero Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign, the government aims to increase routine vaccination through the Universal Immunisation Programme, strengthening disease surveillance via the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and targeted outreach to marginalised communities.

India’s vaccination coverage is improving. According to 2024–25 data from the Health Management Information System, first-dose coverage for the measles-rubella vaccine was around 93.7% and second-dose coverage about 92.2% still short of the ideal, but advancing toward the immunological safety zone required to interrupt transmission.

In a population of more than 1.4 billion, measles elimination would not only prevent deaths but reduce the burden on an already stretched healthcare system and improve childhood health outcomes across vast and diverse regions.

Why Are Countries Losing Measles Elimination?

In high-income countries, decades of success against measles have, paradoxically, contributed to complacency. With the disease seldom seen in everyday life, some parents have deprioritised vaccination. Misinformation about vaccines spread through social media further erodes confidence. Structural barriers, such as uneven access to healthcare, inflexible appointment systems and weakened public health funding — compound the problem.

By contrast, India’s campaign is driven by the lived experience of preventable outbreaks and the memory of successful mass immunisation drives, such as those that defeated polio. The government has emphasised inclusion, community engagement and tracking mechanisms tailored to reach rural and urban slum populations alike.

Yet India’s path is not without challenges. Reaching the last mile particularly in remote or underserved areas requires not just vaccines, but trust and logistical agility. India’s public health apparatus is vast and decentralised, and consistent implementation requires coordination across states with widely varying capacities.

However, where many Western health systems are struggling to maintain high coverage in stable environments, India’s efforts reflect an understanding that elimination must be pursued with urgency and adaptability without political interference.

Within the past decade, the UK has gained, lost and regained its elimination status, according to an update posted on 26 January by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The country first eliminated measles in 2016, only to see a resurgence in 2018 alongside much of Europe. It regained the status in 2021, when the measures taken to curb COVID-19 reduced travel, social distancing and heightened public health vigilance also drove down measles cases. Similarly, a November 2025 World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that while measles deaths have dropped dramatically over the past two decades, the number of infections is once again surging across the world.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, warned that measles continues to expose weaknesses in public health systems worldwide. “Measles is the world’s most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it. Measles does not respect borders, but when every child in every community is vaccinated against it, costly outbreaks can be avoided, lives can be saved, and this disease can be eliminated from entire nations.”

What Does ‘Measles Elimination Status’ Mean?

Measles elimination status is more than a bureaucratic label. It signals that a country has halted continuous, endemic transmission of a highly contagious illness for at least 12 consecutive months an achievement that reflects robust vaccination coverage, strong disease surveillance and sustained public health investment.

For much of the 21st century, high-income nations treated measles elimination as virtually irreversible. In 2000, the United States declared it had eliminated the disease. Later, the Region of the Americas, a grouping including Canada, the US and many Latin American states became the first health region in the world to gain and then regain measles-free status. Measles was also considered absent from large parts of Europe and the United Kingdom after similar achievements.

But in 2025 and 2026, these certainties have begun to unravel. Countries that once stood as poster children for vaccine success are instead sounding alarms about outbreaks, dipping vaccination rates, and the real prospect of losing the status they spent decades earning. These developments are reshaping how the world thinks about measles, vaccine trust and what it takes to protect entire populations.

Why Is Measles Making A Comeback Across The World?

Infections that once seemed on the brink of permanent retreat are coming back with surprising force. The United Kingdom officially lost its measles elimination status in early 2026 after a sustained rise in cases and a drop in vaccine uptake. England alone logged 2,911 confirmed cases in 2024, the highest number since 2012 while coverage of both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine dipped to around the mid-80s percentile, far below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently announced that the entire Region of the Americas — free of endemic measles since 2016 no longer meets the criteria for elimination. Transmission in Canada and persistent outbreaks in the US and Mexico underlie this reversal.

Across the Atlantic, Canada’s elimination status was revoked in late 2025 after over 5,000 confirmed infections and evidence of endemic transmission lasting more than a year. Once a statistic-free country for measles, it now battles outbreaks in provinces from Ontario to Alberta, a stark reminder that the disease exploits vulnerabilities wherever they appear.

In the United States, the situation remains fluid and serious. Following a major outbreak that began in West Texas in 2025 and spread to multiple states, federal and WHO officials indicate the country is on the brink of losing its own measles-free designation. In 2025 alone, more than 2,200 confirmed cases were reported across 44 states, the highest tally in over three decades. This surge reflects declines in immunisation coverage, public wariness about vaccines and uneven investment in public health infrastructure.

The resurgence across these high-income nations highlights a simple epidemiological truth: measles remains among the most contagious viruses known. With a basic reproductive number (R₀) between 12 and 18, one infectious individual can infect many others in populations where immunity dips even marginally. Once vaccination coverage slips below the critical threshold, outbreaks are not just possible they are expected.

Why is Measles Still A Global Threat?

Even in December 2025, when global measles deaths are far lower than at the turn of the century, the toll remains troublingly significant. According to WHO data, measles mortality fell by 88% between 2000 and 2024, and an estimated 59 million lives have been saved by vaccination since the turn of the millennium. Yet the disease still claimed around 95,000 lives in 2024, mostly among children under five, with many more suffering serious complications like pneumonia, blindness or encephalitis.

Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have also lost their measles elimination status, prompting the WHO to urge countries to urgently raise vaccination coverage, especially among under-protected communities, to curb further spread among children.

What Is India’s Measles Status?

In India, the public health narrative is tracking in the opposite direction. After reporting 8,035 measles cases between April and October 2025 placing it among the top ten countries for outbreaks the government launched an ambitious campaign aimed at achieving measles and rubella elimination by 2026.

Known as the National Zero Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign, the government aims to increase routine vaccination through the Universal Immunisation Programme, strengthening disease surveillance via the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and targeted outreach to marginalised communities.

India’s vaccination coverage is improving. According to 2024–25 data from the Health Management Information System, first-dose coverage for the measles-rubella vaccine was around 93.7% and second-dose coverage about 92.2% still short of the ideal, but advancing toward the immunological safety zone required to interrupt transmission.

In a population of more than 1.4 billion, measles elimination would not only prevent deaths but reduce the burden on an already stretched healthcare system and improve childhood health outcomes across vast and diverse regions.

Why Are Countries Losing Measles Elimination?

In high-income countries, decades of success against measles have, paradoxically, contributed to complacency. With the disease seldom seen in everyday life, some parents have deprioritised vaccination. Misinformation about vaccines spread through social media further erodes confidence. Structural barriers, such as uneven access to healthcare, inflexible appointment systems and weakened public health funding — compound the problem.

By contrast, India’s campaign is driven by the lived experience of preventable outbreaks and the memory of successful mass immunisation drives, such as those that defeated polio. The government has emphasised inclusion, community engagement and tracking mechanisms tailored to reach rural and urban slum populations alike.

Yet India’s path is not without challenges. Reaching the last mile particularly in remote or underserved areas requires not just vaccines, but trust and logistical agility. India’s public health apparatus is vast and decentralised, and consistent implementation requires coordination across states with widely varying capacities.

However, where many Western health systems are struggling to maintain high coverage in stable environments, India’s efforts reflect an understanding that elimination must be pursued with urgency and adaptability without political interference.

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