More measles cases reported in first months of 2019 than all of 2018
In the first few months of 2019, the United States has witnessed the second-greatest number of reported measles cases since the disease was eliminated in 2000.
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As of April 8, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 465 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 19 states, including Georgia. That's up from 387 the week before. The numbers are notable, since there were only 372 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. in the entirety of 2018.
The worst year for measles in the U.S. this past decade was 2014, when 667 cases were reported to the CDC. The most before that was 963 cases in 1994.
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Roughly 80% of the cases are age 19 or younger.
According to the agency, there are currently six outbreaks that are being monitored in New York, Washington state, California and New Jersey.
"These outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring," CDC researchers note on the official CDC measles page.
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Pockets of unvaccinated people in U.S. communities also contribute to the spread of measles, according to the CDC. Health officials say this is a textbook example of why it's critical to vaccinate against measles, the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in the world.
The CDC recommends that all children get two doses of measles vaccine. It says the vaccine is 97% effective.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.