U.S. Confirms 113th Measles Case of 2024

The U.S. government confirmed today that the ongoing measles outbreak in the United States is rapidly increasing.

As of April 5, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 113 measles cases had been confirmed by 18 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

Seven outbreaks (defined as three or more related cases) were reported in 2024, and 73% are outbreak-associated.

For example, in Illinois, Chicago has reported about 58 measles cases over the past weeks.

About 58% of measles cases require hospitalization.

For comparison, in 2023, 58 measles cases were reported by 20 jurisdictions, with four outbreaks.

Internationally, the CDC listed the top ten international measles outbreaks as of March 12, 2024, led by Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Yemen, and India.

Furthermore, the United Kingdom's multi-month measles outbreak is accelerating in April 2024.

And to alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC republished a Travel Health Notice in late March 2024, identifying measles outbreaks in 49 countries.

The CDC says measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.

Various measles vaccines are offered at clinics and pharmacies in the U.S.