New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of measles cases continues to grow in the United States, and that more states are seeing cases than was previously known. From January 1 to April 4 of this year, 465 cases were confirmed in 19 states—all told, the second highest number of cases since measles was declared “eliminated” in 2000. The CDC cautioned that the case count is preliminary, so the numbers could actually prove to be higher or lower. To date, cases have been confirmed in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Texas
- Washington
New York City has taken the extraordinary measure of ordering people who live or work in specific zip codes to get vaccinated against measles if they hadn’t already. The only exceptions are people who can demonstrate that they are immune from measles and who also have a medical condition that precludes them from receiving the vaccine.