- The United States of America (USA) has recorded 695 cases of measles in 2019, the most of any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement in New York that the high number of cases in 2019 is primarily the result of a few large outbreaks in Washington State and in New York that started late last year.
- The resurgence of the once-eradicated, highly-contagious disease is linked to a growing anti-vaccine movement in richer nations which the World Health Organization has identified as a major global health threat.
- Outbreaks in the United States have mostly been confined to tight-knit communities where vaccination rates are lower than the national average of more than 90%.
Published On : 25 Apr 2019
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