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NEW YORK (AP) – Measles cases in the United States have increased again and are poised to break the record for most diseases in 25 years.
Health officials said Monday that 555 cases of measles had been confirmed this year, against 465 a week ago.
While 20 states have reported cases, New York has been the epicenter. Nearly two-thirds of all cases occurred in New York, and 85% of the last week's cases came from the state. Most cases in New York involve unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.
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The 2019 count is already the highest since 2014, when 667 were reported. The highest number of cases previously was 963 in 1994.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all children receive two doses of measles vaccine with 97% effectiveness.
Among the other states reporting measles cases this year, note Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Washington. After the CDC released its report Monday morning, officials in Iowa said they too have witnessed a case.
The World Health Organization also announced Monday that there were four times more cases of measles in the world this year than during the same period last year.
Over the last year, the most important figures were recorded in Ukraine, Madagascar and India, each reporting more than 60,000 cases.
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