The number of cases of measles in the United States continues to rise, although most of the outbreak at this point is confined to the State of New York.
All but three of the 33 new cases recorded in the U.S. last week occurred in New York State, with 20 in Rockland County and 10 in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Federal health officials said Monday there were 1,077 confirmed cases since January 1 of this year, making this the worst outbreak of the virus in the country since 1992, when 2,126 cases of the illness were recorded.
As of Monday, there were 609 confirmed cases of measles in New York City since September 2018; 29,220 doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine have been administered to people who are under 19 years old in the Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn since October.
People who demonstrate they are immune from measles or have a medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccine will not need to get vaccinated. However, if the NYC Health Department identifies a person with measles or an unvaccinated child exposed to measles in the 11205, 11206, 11211 or 11249 ZIP codes, by law that individual or their parent or guardian may be fined $1,000 due to an emergency order by the city.