CDC Reports Florida Is In Top Six States For 2024 Measles Outbreak

Three-dimensional illustrative representation of a measles virus particle.Photo byCDC

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), so far in 2024, the United States has seen at least 227 cases of measles. This is triple the number of measles cases compared to last year and more than 2022 and 2023 combined. Of the 29 states impacted, Florida is in the top six.

As of August 23, 2024, the CDC reports that Florida has logged between 10 and 19 cases of measles. The same can be said for New York, specifically New York City, and California. Currently, Illinois is experiencing the worst outbreak with between 50 and 99 cases, followed by Minnesota and Oregon with 20 to 49 cases.

Of the total infected population in the United States in 2024, 39% has been under the age of 5, 30% has been between the ages of 5 and 19, and 31% has been the age of 20 or older. Around 86% of infected individuals were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status for measles, 9% had received one dose, and 5% had received two doses.

So far, 44% of the cases have resulted in hospitalizations for either isolation or complications caused by the viral infection. That is 100 hospitalizations out of 277 cases.

Of the infected children under 5 years old, 58% have been hospitalized. Of the infected people between 5 and 19 years old, 30% have been hospitalized. Of the people 20 years old and older, 39% have been hospitalized.

In addition, the CDC reports that around 90.6% of Florida’s kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles for the 2022-2023 school year. While this is not a low number, around 13 other states had vaccination rates of above 95%.

Mississippi had the highest vaccination percentage for kindergarteners at 98.4%, and the state has not experienced any measles cases so far this year. This being said, New York also had one of the highest measles vaccination rates among kindergarteners during 2022 to 2023, yet this state is also experiencing one of the highest measles outbreaks this year.

The CDC recommends the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for preventing measles, especially if you are planning to travel.
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Article by Ema Tibbetts