Number of measles cases in US reaches 25-year record

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - The number of measles cases in the United States this year reached its highest since 1994, according to a new report published Monday.

It is the highest since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S.

So far in 2019, 704 cases have been reported, breaking the previous record of 667 cases in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s weekly report.

The agency said the majority of those affected have not been vaccinated, which has led to an unprecedented spread of the disease throughout the country.

There are outbreaks in Butte, Los Angeles and Sacramento counties in California, Rockland County in New York state, New York City and the states of Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey and Washington.

There are individual cases of measles in 22 states.

Last week, two universities in Los Angeles were quarantined due to outbreaks on their campuses.

The highest number of cases were reported in New York, where there was an outbreak in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.

New York City imposed a mandatory vaccination order for residents, in response.

About one or two out of every 1,000 people who get measles will die from the disease, according to the CDC but the illness has not caused a death in the U.S. since 2015.

The issue of vaccinations has caused a political debate in Washington, and U.S. President Donald Trump has been vocal on his stance against vaccinations.

However, with the recent outbreak now leading to the highest number of cases in 25 years, the president changed his stance on the issue, calling for vaccinations.

"They have to get the shot, the vaccinations are so important. This is really going around now, they have to get their shot," Trump told reporters last week.

U.S. authorities declared the person-to-person transmission of measles eliminated in 2000.