US hits a scary mark for total number of measles cases — for the second year in a row
The number of U.S. measles cases surpassed the 2,000 mark this week for the second time in two years, federal data shows.
There have been 30 new incidents resulting in 2,030 confirmed cases so far this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. That’s inching closer to last year’s total of 2,288 cases, the agency noted.
Before 2025, America’s yearly measles cases had not surpassed 2,000 since 1992.
The highly infectious virus was largely considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 due to the preventative measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, but falling vaccination rates have helped the disease to spread again. This year has seen outbreaks in several states including South Carolina, Utah and Texas.
open image in galleryThe number of measles cases this year just passed the 2,000 mark in the U.S. The cases are mostly in unvaccinated patients (AFP/Getty)Two doses of the vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing infection, the CDC says.
The new data “indicates..
