CDC update shows no new measles cases in U.S.

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. measles outbreak appears finally to be slowing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated in a status update Monday.

The CDC reported no new cases over the last week, leaving 1,241 recorded cases in the United States. It also said outbreaks in New York City and El Paso, Texas, have ended.

Three quarters of the cases this year have involved outbreaks in New York state, mostly involving unvaccinated persons.

Dr. Jennifer McCabe, a physician at WellSpan Family Medicine-Stony Brook in New York, said she's contracted measles -- volunteering her diagnosis because she said more information is "in the best interest of our community."

"The vaccine is very safe, and very effective," McCabe said, adding that while it's 97 percent effective, there will be a small group who will still get it.

"I am one of those people."

Measles cases have grown in the last four years. The CDC confirmed 86 cases in 2016, 120 in 2017 and 372 in 2018 before the dramatic jump in cases this year, which has seen confirmed cases in 31 states.

The agency said it's still concerned about Americans returning from measles-susceptible nations. It said current outbreaks in two New York counties can be attributed to travelers who brought back the virus after trips to Israel, Ukraine, and the Philippines.