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US measles outbreak spreads to Idaho and Virginia, hits 1,022 cases

Monday, 10 June 2019 3:52 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 10 June 2019 3:52 PM ]

Number of measles cases over 1,000 in the US for the first time since its eradication.

The United States' worst measles outbreak in a quarter-century spread to Idaho and Virginia last week as public health authorities on Monday reported 41 new cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease.

The US has recorded 1,022 cases of the diseases this year as of June 6, in an outbreak blamed on misinformation about vaccines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The 2019 outbreak, which has reached 28 states, is the worst since 1992, when 2,126 cases were recorded.

Federal health officials attribute this year's outbreak to US parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. These parents believe, contrary to scientific evidence, that ingredients in the vaccine can cause autism.

"We cannot say this enough: Vaccines are a safe and highly effective public health tool that can prevent this disease and end the current outbreak," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement last week.

PressTV-US sees surge of 20% in confirmed cases of measles: CDC

The number of confirmed cases of measles in the United States this year jumped by nearly 20 percent in the week ended April 11, federal health officials say.

Measles 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.

CDC officials have warned that the country risks losing its measles elimination status if the ongoing outbreak, which began in October 2018 in New York, continues until October 2019.

(Source: Reuters)

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US measles outbreak