Measles Cases Take Big Jump in One Week

Number jumps from 387 to 465, closing in on highest total in 20 years
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 8, 2019 12:09 PM CDT
Measles Cases Take Big Jump in One Week
File photo of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The US seems to be moving toward an unwanted milestone. The CDC said Monday it has confirmed 465 cases of measles so far in 2019—a sharp jump from the 387 reported only last week, notes USA Today. This year already has seen the second-highest number of cases since 2000, and the pace is on track to surpass the 667 reported in 2014. The big double whammy: a rise in the number of travelers who contract the disease overseas and return to spread it in the US, where the anti-vax movement has a foothold. While 19 states have cases, the biggest outbreak continues to be one in New York City—of the week's new cases, 60 were tied to that outbreak, reports the Wall Street Journal. (More measles stories.)

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