Four states announce more measles cases

Amid ongoing record post-elimination measles activity in the United States, four states have reported more measles cases, including Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, in its weekly update, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added 10 more cases to the national total, which has now reached 1,319 cases.

In early July, the United States passed its previous post-elimination record of measles cases, and though cases in the West Texas outbreak have declined steadily, smaller outbreaks and travel-linked cases continue to push the nation’s total higher. The surge in US measles activity is part of a global rise in cases made worse by dropping childhood immunization rates.

The CDC said the number of affected states remained at 40, with the number of outbreaks holding at 29. So far, 87% of the nation’s cases are connected to outbreaks and 92% of affected patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Children ages 5 to 19 years old are the most affected age group, followed closely by adults ages 20 and older. 

Amusement park exposure reported in New Mexico case

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and their partners in Gunnison County yesterday confirmed a measles infection in an out-of-state resident and warned of potential public exposures at a store in Almont and a health facility in Gunnison. 

Two neighboring states—New Mexico and Wyoming—also reported new cases. New Mexico’s latest case is the first from Santa Fe County. In a statement, the New Mexico Department of Health said the patient is an unvaccinated child younger than 10 years old who likely contracted the virus during international travel and may have exposed others to measles during a visit to an amusement park in Albuquerque on July 17. The latest case lifts New Mexico’s total to 96 cases since the first of the year.

The Wyoming Department of Health yesterday reported the state’s third case, which involves an unvaccinated adult from Carbon County. 

Elsewhere, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services yesterday confirmed the state’s eighth case, a fully vaccinated adult from the western part of the state. Officials said the patient has no known links to earlier cases and had not traveled outside the state. They noted potential public exposures at locations in Sioux Center, Sheldon, and Hull.