As of April 18, the US has 800 measles cases nationwide, and this week two more states have identified outbreaks of the disease.

Texas has seen a large number of cases, with the outbreak concentrated in West Texas and started almost 3 months ago, with the number of cases reaching 597.

Two elementary school-aged children died of measles-related illnesses near the epicenter in Texas.

An adult in New Mexico who had not been vaccinated also died of measles-related illness.

Other states with active outbreaks - defined as 3 or more cases - are Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico. There are more than twice as many measles cases in the U.S. as in all of 2024.

The disease is caused by a highly contagious virus that is transmitted by the airborne route and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable by vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the United States since 2000.

Health experts fear that the virus will spread to other American communities with low vaccination rates and that the spread could last for an entire year.
In North America, an outbreak of 925 people fell ill in Ontario, Canada, from mid-October to April 16. This is in addition to cases in Mexico, which the World Health Organization says are linked to the Texas outbreak. According to the health ministry of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, 433 cases had been registered there as of April 18. | BGNES