(Mar. 22, 2024) – This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a
health advisory informing clinicians and public health officials of an increase in global and U.S. measles cases and to provide guidance on measles prevention for all international travelers ages more than six months and all children aged more than 12 months who do not plan to travel internationally. Measles is highly contagious. One person infected with measles can infect nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals with whom they come in close contact. From Jan. 1 to Mar. 14, 2024, the CDC has been notified of 58 confirmed U.S. cases of measles across 17 jurisdictions, including seven outbreaks in seven jurisdictions compared to 58 total cases and four outbreaks reported the entire year in 2023. Among the 58 cases reported in 2024, 54 (93 percent) were linked to international travel. Most cases reported in 2024 have been among children ages 12 months and older who had not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. For more information, see the CDC's
Measles Cases and Outbreaks report.
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Karen Braman