Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials calculate, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades.
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it → surpass → decades
The benchmark comes as neighboring New York declared a state of emergency about measles rates there.
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York → come → rates
Pennsylvania’s health department said Monday 1,004 cases of measles had been confirmed.
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cases → say → measles
Five Pennsylvania residents have died after contracting the disease, with 198 hospitalizations.
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residents → die → hospitalizations
Lancaster county, with sizeable Amish and Mennonite populations, remains the hardest hit, with 391 cases, according to official figures.
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county → remain → figures
Cases numbers have risen over the past three months, with the highest number of infections in the 24-49 age range.
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numbers → rise → range
The numbers, however, are not included in a CDC count due to an ongoing dispute between Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, and the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr over how to classify measles-related mortality.
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numbers → include → mortality
Shapiro has called Kennedy “incompetent”, and Kennedy has publicly questioned whether the state’s recorded fatalities were directly caused by measles.
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fatalities → call → measles
The CDC – which Kennedy oversees – currently lists two measles deaths in the US this year.
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Kennedy → oversee → US
Shapiro has expanded access to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in affected communities.
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Shapiro → expand → communities
“I want every Pennsylvanian to know this: measles does not care about your county, your faith, or your social circle,” he said in August.
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he → want → August
“I urge everyone to take this seriously and to discuss any concerns with their trusted health care provider.
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I → urge → provider
In New York state, governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Monday as well, citing 108 cases in the state as of 3 October.
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Hochul → declare → October
Ohio, which also shares a border with Pennsylvania, has also reported advancing numbers of cases, with more than 200 this year.
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which → share → 200
Like in Pennsylvania, Ohio has a significant Amish population.
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Ohio → have → population
The US is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991.
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US → endure → 1991
As of 1 October, the CDC reported 3,887 confirmed cases this year, along with the highest number of measles-associated deaths in decades.
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CDC → report → decades
In addition to Pennsylvania, outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest outbreak with 997 cases reported.
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cases → report → outbreak
Health officials in Pennsylvania have said the state’s current outbreak started in April, west of Philadelphia and attributed the outbreak to low vaccination rates.
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outbreak → say → rates
According to the Associated Press, the most recent outbreak to surpass 1,000 cases occurred in New York City in the early 1990s.
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outbreak → accord → 1990s
That outbreak infected more than 4,500 people.
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outbreak → infect → people
During the 1989 and 1991 resurgences, 55,000 infections and 123 deaths were recorded, according to Reuters.
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infections → record → Reuters
The domestic US spread of measles was eliminated in 2000 by high vaccination rates, but those rates have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the US and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.
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US → eliminate → status
The Aporia
