NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed Monday that there have been two cases of measles in the city this year, as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to spike worldwide.
The confirmed cases were unrelated, and in each instance health officials conducted a routine case and contact investigation that included proper follow-ups for all exposed people, officials said.
Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse encouraged New Yorkers who have not been vaccinated to vaccinate themselves and their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
“Vaccination not only protects the person who gets vaccinated, but also contributes to community protection by helping stop the spread of the disease and keeping infants and others who can't be vaccinated safe,” Morse said in a statement.
As of Feb. 27, a total of 164 measles cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with cases in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas.
Measles cases have jumped worldwide, and the amount in the United States last year were nearly double the total for all of 2023. Experts have pointed to declining measles vaccination rates worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason, with most states now under the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergarteners that is needed to protect communities against outbreaks.
An unvaccinated child died of measles in West Texas last week amid an outbreak that reached 146 people in the rural area as of Friday, state health officials said. According to the CDC, the death is the first from the highly contagious but preventable respiratory disease since 2015.
Measles symptoms include fever, rash, cough, conjunctivitis or runny nose Children younger than 5 years of age, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable to measles complications, though it can be severe in all age groups.