The number of measles cases reported in the United States this year up to Feb. 6 has reached 121, according to the latest data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

measlesCases have now been reported in 17 states and Washington DC: AZ (7), CA (88), CO (1), DC (1), DE (1), IL (3), MI (1), MN (1), NE (2), NJ (1), NY (2), NV (2), OR (1), PA (1), SD (2) TX (1), UT (2), WA (4).

Eight out 10 cases have shown to be linked to the Disneyland outbreak.

The California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) confirmed measles tally is higher than that reported by the CDC with 103 cases.

Of these:

  • 39 cases visited Disneyland during December 17th-20th, 2014 where they are presumed to have been exposed
  • 24 are household or close contacts to a confirmed case
  • 4 were exposed in a community setting (e.g., emergency room) where a confirmed case was known to be present
  • 36 have unknown exposure source

In addition, CDPH officials are warning against “measles parties” as opposed to vaccination noting that 30% of cases in the state required hospitalization for their illness:

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) does not have any information to share about the background or frequency of pox parties. But CDPH strongly recommends against the intentional exposure of children to measles, as it unnecessarily places the exposed children at potentially grave risk and could contribute to further spread of the outbreak. Measles is a serious illness that can have significant consequences. Thirty percent of people with measles in the current California outbreak have been hospitalized.” – Dr. Gil Chavez, Deputy Director, State Epidemiologist, California Department of Public Health.