Measles Cases Confirmed Along U.S. East Coast

According to various health departments located on the East Coast of the United States, there have been several confirmed reports of measles infections in early 2024.

As of January 16, 2024, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported a measles cluster among eight unvaccinated residents.

Across the river from Philadelphia, the Camden County, New Jersey Health Department announced on January 13, 2023, that it was closely monitoring a measles case of a child who attended daycare.

On January 13, 2024, the Virginia Department of Health was notified of a confirmed case of measles in a person who traveled through Dulles and Reagan airports when returning from international travel.

Furthermore, the Delaware Division of Public Health reported on January 11, 2024, a potential measles exposure at the Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington. An investigation has identified up to 30 people exposed to the infectious individual in late December 2023.

Most measles cases in the U.S. are related to international travel, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, there were 48 measles cases confirmed in twenty U.S. jurisdictions.

Last year, the CDC published a global Watch-Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Notice in 2023, identifying measles outbreaks in 47 countries. 

As of January 12, 2024, the CDC listed the top ten measles outbreaks led by Yemen and India over the past year.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, says the CDC. A highly contagious virus causes it. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace after an infected person leaves an area. Moreover, people can spread measles up to four days before and four days after a rash.

Most clinics and pharmacies in the U.S. offer measles vaccination services.