Measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is largest in decades in the United States

NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 cases of measles this year, state health officials announced Monday, making it the largest outbreak in the state in more than three decades.

The United States is experiencing its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 cases reported, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country has recorded eight measles-associated deaths in the past two years, more than the combined total of deaths reported in the previous three decades.

Since early last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest outbreak with 997 reported cases.

New York’s governor declared a state of emergency on Monday due to measles cases in neighboring states and rural New York. The order expands the number of people who can administer the measles vaccine to paramedics, midwives and others, and allows nurses to join doctors in ordering tests. The state has more than 100 cases this year.

Health officials say the current outbreak in Pennsylvania began in April, west of Philadelphia. There have been 1,004 cases, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths, state officials said.

Health experts attribute these outbreaks to low vaccination rates.

It’s been decades since a U.S. state has seen an outbreak surpass 1,000 cases, dating back to a multi-year outbreak in New York in the early 1990s that infected more than 4,500 people.

The country eliminated the national spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but those rates have in recent years fallen below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine whether the United States and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.

Measles is very contagious. It is spread when people who have it breathe, cough or sneeze, as well as through contaminated surfaces. It can also stay in the air for two hours. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 9 in 10 susceptible people will contract the virus if exposed.