The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 43 new measles outbreaks and more than 5,000 confirmed cases this year. Eight people have died, including four babies too young to be vaccinated. A group within the World Health Organization (WHO) is considering whether the U.S. has lost its measles elimination status.
The United States has recorded 43 new measles outbreaks and more than 5,000 confirmed cases this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The figures make this one of the country's most heavily affected years for the disease in recent memory.
According to the CDC, eight people have died from measles. Among the dead are four babies who were too young to be vaccinated, underscoring the risk facing infants who cannot yet receive immunization.
The official data show that the 43 outbreaks and the more than 5,000 confirmed cases occurred within the same year, a situation health authorities continue to monitor. The CDC is the federal agency responsible for tracking and reporting such diseases.
At the same time, a group within the World Health Organization (WHO) is considering whether the United States has lost its measles elimination status, according to the available information. That status refers to the absence of continuous transmission of the disease within a territory.
The WHO review comes amid a rise in cases and outbreaks in the country. No final decision by that group of the international health organization has been announced so far.
Health authorities have not detailed in the information released the ages of the other victims who died, where they lived or the exact dates of the deaths. Nor was it specified in which states or regions the 43 reported outbreaks are concentrated.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease, and vaccination is the main tool for prevention. Babies too young to be vaccinated depend on the immunity of those around them, which is why outbreaks pose a particular risk to that group.
The WHO group is expected to continue assessing the status of measles elimination in the United States, while the CDC keeps tracking confirmed cases and outbreaks. No timeline for a definitive determination has been announced.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); World Health Organization (WHO)