The number of new measles cases was down by more than half last week, but another state has been added to the list of those with reported cases in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The total for the year is 228 cases, which moves 2019 ahead of 2011 for third place over the last decade, the CDC reported March 11. Going back even further in time, the 206 measles cases reported through January and February is the highest 2-month total in a quarter of a century, the Washington Post said.
New Hampshire became the 12th and latest state to report a case of measles this year, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. California’s situation is now considered an outbreak (defined as three or more cases), but one of the three outbreaks in New York has been taken off the list, so total outbreaks for 2019 remain at six, the CDC said.
For the third consecutive week, New York City produced the most measles cases, with Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood recording 11 of the U.S. total of 21. The outbreak in King County, Wash., – totaling 70 cases this year – may be winding down as only one new case was reported last week, and no new cases are being investigated, the county’s public health service reported.