ATLANTA, Ga. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – So far in 2018, 107 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 21 states, including Tennessee, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated.
Measles is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. Travelers with measles continue to bring the disease into the U.S.
Measles can spread when it reaches a community in the U.S. where groups of people are unvaccinated.
Measles Outbreaks
So far in 2018, there have been eight outbreaks in the U.S. of three or more cases.
Outbreaks in countries to which Americans often travel can directly contribute to an increase in measles cases in the U.S.
More statistics from the CDC:
In 2017, 118 people from 15 states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles. In 2016, 86 people from 19 states were reported to have measles. In 2015, 188 people from 24 states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles. In 2014, the United States experienced a record number of measles cases, with 667 cases from 27 states reported to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD); this is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.
Fore information, visit the CDC’s website.