CDC Updates Measles Elimination Status

NEW YORK – After more than 1,200 measles cases this year, the U.S. was in jeopardy of losing its elimination status on the disease.

But Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the country will keep that distinction. The World Health Organization granted it that status back in 2000.

The group can remove it if the United States sees a measles outbreak that lasts at least a year.

Public health experts have said losing that status would have been a black eye on the U.S.

New York has been dealing with a measles outbreak since October 2018.

But Thursday, the state health department declared it no longer has any active cases connected to that outbreak.