Los Angeles, July 10 (IANS) The number of measles cases in the United States has hit the highest level in more than 30 years, according to the data released by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 1,288 measles cases have been confirmed in the country, with 13 per cent of cases hospitalised, so far in 2025, making it the worst year since 1992, when 2,126 cases were confirmed.
The cases were reported across 38 states nationwide, with 753 in Texas alone, according to the CDC.
There have been 27 outbreaks reported in 2025, and 88 per cent of confirmed cases are outbreak-associated, said the CDC, adding that 92 per cent of these cases are either unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.
The airborne, extremely infectious and potentially severe rash illness was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning there are no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country, the CDC explains on its website, Xinhua news agency reported.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced, an estimated 48,000 people were hospitalised and 400 to 500 people died in the United States each year.
According to the World Health Organization, measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.
Measles can affect anyone, but it is most common in children.
Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.
Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.
Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
An estimated 107,500 people died from measles in 2023 — mostly children under the age of five years — despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine.
–IANS
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