July 9 (UPI) -- The number of reported measles cases in the United States has hit 1,288 in the first six months of this year, the most since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, according data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The figure has surpassed the total number of infections in 2019, which was 1,274, the CDC said.
In 1992, there were 2,126 cases, eight years before the virus was officially declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 after vaccine use became prevalent. That means measles was no longer spreading within the country, and new cases were only found when someone contracted measles abroad and returned to the United States.
Cases have been reported in 38 states, with 753 in Texas, where outbreaks were first reported in January. The next highest states are 95 in New Mexico and 87 in Kansas.
Related
