Data shows that almost as many cases of measles have been detected this year as in all of 2023.
Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 41 cases were diagnosed in January and February, compared to 58 in all of 2023. This time last year, only three cases had been recorded.
Sixteen states have confirmed outbreaks so far – with Florida, linked to primary schools, being the largest with ten cases.
The outbreaks are attributed to declining measles vaccination rates for the third year in a row.
The target is 95 percent, but last year it fell to 93.1 percent, meaning hundreds of thousands of preschoolers were not protected from the disease when they went to school.
The map above shows the states that have detected measles cases so far this year
Measles usually starts with cold symptoms before causing a rash consisting of small red spots, some of which may feel slightly swollen. According to the NHS, it usually starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading further
Measles infections can be easily prevented with the two-dose MMR vaccine, which is more than 97 percent effective against infections with the disease.
The disease is one of the most contagious diseases known to man and is spread through airborne droplets or on contaminated surfaces, with nine in 10 unvaccinated people exposed to the disease developing an infection.
Patients initially suffer from symptoms such as a runny nose and red and swollen eyes that are sensitive to light, but this can progress to a harsh cough and a rash that spreads from the face to the feet and consists of flat red spots.
The CDC says about one in five people infected with measles are hospitalized, while three in every thousand patients die from the disease. One in a thousand also gets swelling in the brain.
Michigan was the last state to record measles cases this year – after confirming infections in two adults who had recently traveled abroad.
Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, was criticized earlier last month after suggesting that children exposed to measles during the state’s outbreak did not need to isolate at home.
Dr. Robert Speth, a medical expert at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida, said The guard: “His statements are more political than medical and that is a terrible disservice to the citizens of Florida.”
“He’s someone whose job is to protect public health, and he’s doing the exact opposite.”
The graph above shows the number of reported measles cases per year. About 100 cases are reported in the US each year
The above shows the number of reported measles cases per week, which shows an increase in recent weeks
The other states reporting cases are: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
Six of these states – Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan and Minnesota – did not report a single case of measles last year.
It is unclear what proportion of cases are linked to international travel and how many patients have been infected in the US.
Experts say measles is entering the U.S. from overseas countries where vaccine coverage is limited, including Yemen, India and Russia.
Patients can then unknowingly spread the virus into their environment before realizing they are infected.
Earlier this year, a child at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was reportedly infected after being placed in a bed next to a child who had measles before being diagnosed.
Before the Covid pandemic, America recorded around 100 cases of measles every year, most of which were linked to international travel.
The largest outbreak occurred in 2019, when more than 1,274 cases were recorded – partly linked to parents holding ‘measles parties’ where they exposed unvaccinated children to the disease to give them immunity.
The number of cases has remained low since then, with the highest number in 2022, when 121 cases of measles were recorded in the US.
Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, but has continued to crop up in the country since then.