U.S. records 19 new cases of measles as of last week
FILE PHOTO: A camper's immunization form and physician's stamp is seen at the Rosmarins Day Camp and Cottages office in Monroe, New York, U.S., May 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
(Reuters) - The United States recorded 19 new measles cases last week, taking the total cases for the year to 1,234 across 31 states in the worst outbreak since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday.
More than 75% of the cases this year are linked to outbreaks in New York, with the majority of cases among people who were not vaccinated against measles, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (http://bit.ly/32pSROi)
CDC officials have warned the country risks losing its measles elimination status if the outbreak, which began in October 2018 in New York state, continues until October 2019.
FILE PHOTO: A crowd of supporters of a religious exemption to childhood vaccination rally outside New York State Supreme Court after a hearing challenging the constitutionality of the NY State Legislature's repeal of the religious exemption to vaccination in Albany, New York, U.S., August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
The disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning there was no continuous transmission of the disease for a year. Still, cases of the virus occur and spread via travelers coming from countries where measles is common.
(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio and Nick Zieminski)
FILE PHOTO: An Orthodox Jewish man supporting a religious exemption to childhood vaccinations pauses to pray in a hallway inside New York State Supreme Court during a hearing challenging the constitutionality of the NY State Legislature's repeal of the religious exemption to vaccination in Albany, New York, U.S., August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoFILE PHOTO: A crowd of supporters of a religious exemption to childhood vaccination rally outside New York State Supreme Court after a hearing challenging the constitutionality of the NY State Legislature's repeal of the religious exemption to vaccination in Albany, New York, U.S., August 14, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
