US reports highest number of measles cases since 2019, CDC data shows

The U.S. has recorded the highest number of measles cases since 2019, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday.

There are now 712 confirmed measles cases across 24 states, an increase of 105 cases from the prior week, the CDC said. This is likely an undercount due to delays in states reporting cases to the federal health agency.

In 2019, there was a total of 1,274 reported cases, CDC data shows. If the U.S. surpasses this figure, it would lead to the highest number of cases recorded since 1992.

Cases have been confirmed in 24 states including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington.

At least five states including Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas are reporting outbreaks, meaning three or more related cases.

The CDC says 11% of measles patients in the U.S. this year have been hospitalized, the majority of whom are under age 19.

Among the nationally confirmed cases by the CDC, about 97% are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.

Of those cases, 1% are among those who have received just one dose of the MMR vaccine and 2% are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.

The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don't need a booster.

Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, CDC data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.

The country could be at risk of losing its elimination status if an outbreak continued for more than one year. The outbreak in western Texas saw its first measles cases in January of this year

As of Friday, 541 measles cases have been recorded, primarily in western Texas. This is an increase of 36 cases since the last update on Tuesday.

Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). At least 56 people have been hospitalized.

Four of the cases are among residents who have been vaccinated with one dose of the MMR vaccine. Seven cases are among those vaccinated with two doses.

The majority of cases are among children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 followed by children ages 4 and under, according to the data.

There have been at least two confirmed deaths linked to the Texas outbreak, both of which occurred in unvaccinated school-aged children with no underlying conditions. A third death is being investigated in New Mexico in an unvaccinated adult who tested positive for measles after dying.

During a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, Katherine Wells, director of public health in Lubbock, Texas, which has had more than 30 cases, said she worries about the measles outbreak potentially spreading to more urban areas.

"I'm worried about exposures in grocery stores and malls and those places that don't exist in the more rural community," she said.