The worst measles outbreak in the United States in a quarter-century spread to two more states last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
Public health authorities said Monday 41 new cases were confirmed, and that the highly contagious virus had spread to Idaho and Virginia. Between January 1 and June 6, the CDC has recorded 1,022 cases of the disease which has now reached 28 states in the worst outbreak since 1992, when 2,126 cases were recorded.
As of June 10, there were 330 confirmed cases of measles in New York State outside of New York City, including 262 confirmed cases in Rockland County alone.
Also as of June 10, there were 588 confirmed cases of measles in New York City since September 2018, and 27,607 doses of the MMR vaccine administered to people under 19 years old in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn since October.
Health officials say the reason for the current outbreak is due to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children due to fears the ingredients in the vaccine can cause autism and other damage. Doctors say the claim is nonsense, and only vaccination can prevent the disease, and end the current outbreak.