Measles cases this year-United state

Measles Outbreaks Surge Across Half of U.S. States in 2024

with the national total surpassing 800 cases so far this year, according to a CNN tally.

Most of the cases are concentrated in a multistate outbreak involving Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas that reached 709 cases Friday, according to state health department updates.

Texas has reported 597 outbreak-associated cases, New Mexico reported 63 cases, and Oklahoma reported 12 cases – nine confirmed and three probable – as of Friday. New Mexico and Oklahoma’s numbers have stayed the same since Tuesday.Cases in Kansas, which the state health department says may be linked to the larger outbreak, have reached 37 as of Wednesday.

Experts say these numbers are all a severe undercount because many cases are going unreported.

The multistate outbreak has put 69 people in the hospital across Texas, New Mexico and Kansas, five more since Tuesday’s update.

Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 85 people have been hospitalized, accounting for 11% of confirmed cases. CDC data shows that only 3% of cases this year have been reported in people who have gotten one or two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Local health officials are scrambling to increase vaccinations, especially in heavily undervaccinated communities. Clinics in Lubbock, Texas, near the epicenter of the outbreak, just expanded their hours.

These Lubbock clinics have administered 450 more doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine than typically would have been given by this time of year, Katherine Wells, director of Lubbock Public Health said this week. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against the measles virus.Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Experts warn that growing case numbers could threaten the country’s elimination status if spread of the outbreak continues.

“That … would happen after 12 months of ongoing circulation of the same sequence,” Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist at the CDC, said Tuesday at a meeting of the agency’s vaccine advisers.

That date would be around January 20, 2026, he said.

Two children in Texas have died in the current multistate outbreak, and a third death in New Mexico is under investigation. They were all unvaccinated.

Why is the measles spreading once more?

1. Imported Cases and Travel to Other Countries Unvaccinated travelers bringing measles from countries where the disease is still prevalent are the source of many outbreaks in the United States. Recent cases have been linked to trips to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, all of which still have measles as an endemic disease.

2. Community Expansion in Populations Not Vaccinated Measles spreads quickly once it enters a community with low vaccination rates. With high exemption rates, schools, daycare centers, and religious communities have been particularly at risk.

Challenges and Responses from Public Health.

1. Preventative Measures Departments of health are responding with: Isolation of infected people (measles is contagious for approximately eight days). contact tracing to locate and track exposed individuals vaccination campaigns in areas with a high risk.

2. Make a strong case for vaccination policies. Vaccine exemption laws are being rethought in some states. For instance: After the outbreak in 2019, non-medical exemptions were abolished in New York. California tightened vaccine requirements for schools. However, there has been opposition to mandates in other states, such as Florida, with some officials delegating vaccination decisions to parents during outbreaks.

3. Defeating False Information False claims about the MMR vaccine are being combated by public health agencies, with an emphasis on: decades of studies demonstrating its safety. The dangers of measles, which can occasionally result in severe illness or death. The significance of herd immunity, which typically requires vaccination coverage of 95 percent

What Are Your Options?

Check vaccination records—children should receive their first dose between the ages of 12 and 15 and their second dose between the ages of 4 and 6. When traveling internationally, see a doctor. To combat misinformation, disseminate accurate vaccine information. The reemergence of measles serves as a cautionary tale: vaccinations save lives, but complacency can undo decades of progress.