US measles count up to 555, with most new cases in New York

ATLANTA, Ga. (WPVI) -- U.S. measles cases have surged again, and are on pace to set a record for most illnesses in 25 years.

Health officials on Monday said 555 measles cases have been confirmed so far this year, up from 465 as of a week ago.

The CDC says 20 states now have cases - that's one more than last week.

However, New York has been the epicenter, with nearly two-thirds of all cases, and 85% of the latest week's cases. Most of the New York cases have been unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.

Dr. Nancy Messonier of the CDC says the outbreak won't stop on its own, and has lasted much long than typical outbreaks.

In the meantime, a group of parents living in an area of Brooklyn that is under the public health emergency has gone to court to stop mandatory vaccinations.

They claim the outbreak isn't dangerous enough to justify forced vaccinations

The 2019 tally is already the most since 2014, when 667 were reported. The most before that was 963 cases in 1994.

Other states reporting measles cases this year include Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

After the CDC issued its report Monday morning, Iowa officials said they too had seen a case.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children get two doses of measles vaccine, which is 97% effective.

The World Health Organization reported today that globally there are four times as many measles cases so far this year as there were at the same time last year.

Over the last year, the largest numbers have been in Ukraine, Madagascar and India, with each reporting more than 60,000 cases.