Measles has exceeded 700 cases in the United States, the highest number since the 20th century

It's official – America is suffering from an unmatched number of measles cases since the late 20th century.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, from January 1 to April 26, 2019, 704 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 22 states. This represents an increase of 78 cases compared to the previous week.

This is the highest number of cases reported in the United States since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The states that reported cases to the CDC are as follows: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mbadachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.

North Dakota has not reported measles cases so far.

Measles outbreaks (defined as 3 or more cases) are currently in progress in 2019 in the following jurisdictions:

These outbreaks are linked to travelers who have brought measles back to other countries, such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where large outbreaks of measles occur. Make sure to be vaccinated against measles before traveling abroad.

Spread of measles

• The majority of people who contracted measles were not vaccinated.
• Measles is still prevalent in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa.
• Travelers with measles continue to introduce the disease into the United States.
• Measles can spread when it reaches a community in the United States where groups of people are not vaccinated.

You can get more information on the CDC website here.