Chart: Measles outbreak this year has been worst of the century
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As of June 13, the U.S. has recorded 1,044 cases in 28 states this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday — the highest number since 1992, when 2,196 cases were reported for the year.
Why it matters: Measles was declared "eradicated" in the U.S. in 2000, years after the development and implementation of the MMR vaccine, which is 97% effective with 2 doses. But the extremely contagious virus has crept back into American society, mainly via pockets of communities who refuse to use the vaccinations, experts have told Axios
Before widespread vaccination, roughly 3 to 4 million Americans got measles each year, leading to an estimated 400–500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations, per the CDC.
- The highest number of annual cases in the U.S. recorded by the CDC since 1942 was in 1958 when 763,094 people reported infections.
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