US sees highest measles cases since 2019
The U.S. has reported the highest number of measles cases since 2019, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday.
There are now 712 confirmed measles cases across 24 states, an increase of 105 cases from the prior week, the CDC said. This is likely an undercount due to delays in states reporting cases to the federal health agency, News.Az reports citing ABC news.
In 2019, there was a total of 1,274 reported cases, CDC data shows. If the U.S. surpasses this figure, it would lead to the highest number of cases recorded since 1992.
Cases have been confirmed in 24 states including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
At least five states including Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas are reporting outbreaks, meaning three or more related cases.
The CDC says 11% of measles patients in the U.S. this year have been hospitalized, the majority of whom are under age 19.
Among the nationally confirmed cases by the CDC, about 97% are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
Of those cases, 1% are among those who have received just one dose of the MMR vaccine and 2% are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don't need a booster.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
The country could be at risk of losing its elimination status if an outbreak continued for more than one year. The outbreak in western Texas saw its first measles cases in January of this year
Similar news
