The News
Saturday 07 of December 2024

US measles count surpasses 1,000


AP Photo,FILE - In this March 27, 2019 file photo, a woman receives a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Pomona, N.Y., north of New York City. On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, federal health officials updated the U.S. measles case count, saying 1,001 illnesses have been reported since the beginning of the year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
AP Photo,FILE - In this March 27, 2019 file photo, a woman receives a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Pomona, N.Y., north of New York City. On Wednesday, June 5, 2019, federal health officials updated the U.S. measles case count, saying 1,001 illnesses have been reported since the beginning of the year. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say this year’s U.S. measles epidemic has surpassed 1,000 illnesses.

It’s already the highest in 27 years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the count Wednesday, saying 1,001 illnesses have been reported since the beginning of the year. Most are from outbreaks in New York in Orthodox Jewish communities.

The nation last saw this many cases in 1992, when more than 2,200 were reported.

Once common in the U.S., measles became rare after vaccination campaigns that started in the 1960s. A decade ago, there were fewer than 100 cases a year.

Overall vaccination rates have remained fairly high, but outbreaks have been happening in communities where parents have refused recommended shots for their children.