US health officials report a nationwide increase in measles cases to 2,566 in 2023, marking the highest annual total since 1991, with most cases linked to unvaccinated individuals and outbreaks concentrated among children and young people.
US health officials say measles cases have climbed to 2,566 nationwide this year, with 38 outbreaks already recorded, marking the highest annual total since 1991 and coming with more than a quarter of the year still left, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest figures also show the tally has risen by almost 250 cases since the agency’s previous update on 24 July, when it reported 2,318 infections.
The CDC said the 2026 total has already passed last year’s 2,289 cases, setting up a second straight annual record since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Health officials also said 93% of cases this year have been in people who were not vaccinated, while two-thirds, or 67%, were in children and young people aged 0 to 19. The agency defines an outbreak as at least three linked cases.
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