Measles outbreak continues to spread

Sixty new cases push total to 764, more than double the 2018 number

The number of confirmed U.S. measles cases this year climbed to 764, more than double the number a year ago and the highest total in 25 years, federal health officials announced Monday.

Sixty additional cases were reported last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Most of those were in New York City and its suburbs.

Pennsylvania became the 23rd state where measles cases have been confirmed.

Ogbonnaya Omenka, an associate professor and public health specialist at Butler University, found some encouraging news in the report. He noted that the number of cases rose about the same in the past two weeks, less than previous gains. But authorities dare not get complacent, he said.

“This outbreak is an indication that the traditional methods of addressing measles outbreaks in the United States may not suffice any longer,” Omenka told USA TODAY. “Public health authorities need to quickly recognize this and adapt accordingly.”

New York has been a focal point for the disease. State health officials announced Monday that 253 cases have been confirmed outside New York City, most of them in suburban Rockland County. More than 400 cases have been reported in Brooklyn and Queens since October.

The city mandated vaccinations in some areas under threat of a $1,000 fine.

Measles was declared eliminated in 2000 but has made a comeback in part because of a movement against vaccination in the USA.

The disease is brought into the country by travelers from Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where there have been large measles outbreaks, the CDC said.

Authorities in Curacao said Monday that 318 people aboard a Church of Scientology ship docked on the Dutch Caribbean island will remain quarantined until officials determine how many are infected with measles, The Associated Press reported. The 440-foot Freewinds ship was previously quarantined in St. Lucia after a female crew member was diagnosed.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash.

Other states reporting cases are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.