Medical News
New York City is fining people who have not had the measles vaccinePaul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
By Chelsea WhyteThe number of measles cases reported in the US continues to rise. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now reports that there have been 1164 cases of measles in 30 states as of 25 July.
This is the highest number of cases seen in one year since 1992. In 2014, the last year a large outbreak occurred in the US, there were a total of 667 cases of measles through the whole year. The number of measles cases so far in 2019 is nearly double that, a concerning trend that has led to severe policies from public health authorities trying to stem outbreaks in New York City and other hard-hit areas.
Current outbreaks, which include 3 or more cases of measles in one region, are ongoing in the states of California, Washington, New York and Texas – including outbreaks in Los Angeles and New York City. The CDC says these are linked to people who travelled internationally and contracted measles in countries such as Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where measles outbreaks are occurring.
The public health department in New York City reports 642 cases of measles as of 29 July. In April, the city adopted a policy to fine any unvaccinated people $1000 who are living in the Brooklyn and Queens neighbourhoods where the disease is spreading rapidly.
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