US measles cases top 700, highest since ‘94 count

NEW YORK — Measles continues to spread in the United States, with 704 cases reported so far this year in 22 states.

U.S. health officials on Monday updated the national tally. It has already eclipsed the total for any full year since 1994, when 963 cases were reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this year’s count includes 44 people who caught the disease while traveling in another country. Some of them triggered U.S. outbreaks, mostly among unvaccinated people. That includes the largest outbreaks, in Orthodox Jewish communities in and around New York City.

Three-quarters of those who caught the extremely contagious disease are children or teenagers.

No deaths have been reported but 66 patients were hospitalized.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

The Southern Nevada Health Distrioct said the first area case since 2015 was confirmed in late December.

Measles, though rare, can be serious. Those not vaccinated are more susceptible to the disease, which can cause pneumonia, encephalitis, seizures and death, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Symptoms can take up to three weeks to appear, though an infected person will usually develop a fever within 10 days of exposure that can last up to four days, a news release said. A runny nose, coughing and red eyes will usually develop, followed by a rash lasting five or six days.

The rash, which is contagious four days before it appears and four days after, starts at the hairline and travels down to the face, neck, hands and feet.

People born before 1957 are more likely to be immune, because most had the disease. Those who have received a vaccination and those who test positive for the measles antibody are also considered immune, the SNHD said.