U.S. Measles Case Count Up to 41 in 2024

There have been 41 cases of measles in the U.S. this year, according to the weekly update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report from Feb. 29 states that cases have been reported in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.

If this trend continues, this year’s numbers will soon surpass last year's – only 58 measles cases were reported for 2023. The biggest spike was seen during the week of Dec. 24 with 11 cases.

In 2020, there were only 13 cases reported, likely due to social distancing rules put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last large outbreak occurred in 2019, with a record 1,274 cases across 31 states, making it the highest number since 1992.

Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious respiratory virus that has the potential to become deadly. It is still one of the most common respiratory diseases in the world, but thanks to vaccines, numbers in the United States have gone down tremendously. Before the first vaccine was developed in 1963, 3 to 4 million people in the U.S. got measles each year, according to the FDA.

Most people who get the most common two-dose version of the vaccine will never get the disease, even if they’ve been exposed. However, cases are on the rise due to a combination of the growing suspicion of vaccines and an increase in international travel.