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| Measles record means US could lose elimination status | Measles record means US could lose elimination status |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The number of US measles patients has reached a record high and may cause the nation to lose its "measles elimination status", US health officials say. | The number of US measles patients has reached a record high and may cause the nation to lose its "measles elimination status", US health officials say. |
| Sixty new cases were reported in the past week, bringing this year's total to 971 cases in 26 US states - the highest since 1994. | Sixty new cases were reported in the past week, bringing this year's total to 971 cases in 26 US states - the highest since 1994. |
| The disease was declared effectively eliminated from the US in 2000. | The disease was declared effectively eliminated from the US in 2000. |
| Recent outbreaks have been attributed to foreign travellers spreading it to those lacking vaccinations in the US. | Recent outbreaks have been attributed to foreign travellers spreading it to those lacking vaccinations in the US. |
| The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Thursday: "If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status. | |
| "That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health. | "That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health. |
| "The measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task." | "The measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task." |
| The statement added that previously between three and four million Americans were diagnosed with the sometimes-fatal illness each year, leading to an estimated 400-500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalisations. | |
| Earlier this year, Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases testified to lawmakers that more must be done to prevent the spread of the disease. | |
| "I consider it an irony that you have one of the most contagious viruses known to man juxtaposed against one of the most effective vaccines they have," he said. | |
| "Yet we don't do and have not done what could be done - namely eliminate, eradicate the virus." | |
| This year's tally of 971 means the US has already broken the 1994 record - 963 infections - in only the first five months of 2019. | |
| But it is still not as bad as 1992 when about 2,200 cases of measles were reported. |