Measles cases in 2019 reached their highest level in 25 years amid ongoing epidemics, according to the CDC

The centers for disease control and prevention announced Thursday that the number of measles cases was higher than that recorded since 1994. If epidemics continue, the health agency says it could cost the United States its status disposal.

The agency said 971 cases of measles had been reported since the beginning of the year. US Agency Director Robert Redfield said in a statement that the highly contagious virus could be avoided, adding that "the way to end this epidemic is to ensure that all children and adults can to be vaccinated are ".

"I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe and that they do not cause autism. The biggest danger is the disease that vaccination prevents, "said Redfield. "Your decision to vaccinate will protect the health of your family and the well-being of your community. The CDC will continue to work with public health stakeholders across the country to end this epidemic. "

Measles is not only a potentially dangerous and super infectious virus, but also an extremely expensive virus. For example, an outbreak early in the year in Washington is expected to cost the state more than $ 1 million, as health officials have shifted resources and resources to the state. struggled to master them. Clark County Public Health Director Alan Melnick told the Seattle Times at the time that taxpayers' money was paying for "something that could have been totally, totally avoidable at the grassroots level."

On top of that, this year's record cases and ongoing epidemics could reverse decades of efforts by public health officials to eliminate the virus in the United States in 2000, the CDC said this week. The agency specifically referred to outbreaks in New York and Rockland Couty, where hundreds of cases have been reported since last fall as worrying.

In the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, 550 cases have been confirmed since September, which, according to health officials, has been reported mainly in the Orthodox Jewish community. Another 254 cases were confirmed in Rockland County. The CDC said that if these outbreaks persisted throughout the summer and fall, the United States could lose their elimination status.

In a statement on the measles epidemic underway in New York, Health Commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot urged that those who have not been vaccinated should do so immediately.

"Recently identified cases are related to exposures in neighborhoods where measles activity is known," said Barbot. "These cases prove the urgent need to get vaccinated, especially if you spend time in crisis areas. This message can not be overestimated: if you live, work or go to school in these areas of the city, get vaccinated if you have the opportunity. "