There is no doubt that 2019 was a bad year for measles.
COVID-19 travel restrictions put an end to all of those measles outbreaks though.
Measles Outbreaks in 2020
In 2020, there were only 13 confirmed cases of measles in 7 states, including:
- a Northeastern University student exposed others to measles in Boston (Jan 3 to 6)
- a student at Florida College in Temple Terrace who had traveled to South America, which led to the quarantine of unvaccinated students and the cancellation of a parents weekend and exposures on Jan 13 to 15
- a case in Northern Virginia, with exposures in Dulles, Arlington, Dunn Loring, and Falls Church (Jan 26 to 29)
- five cases in Los Angeles County, California after four County residents were exposed to an unimmunized international traveler, with exposures in LA, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Norwalk, Torrance, and Bel Air (Jan 26 to Feb 1)
- a young resident in Solano County, California
- a child in King County, Washington who traveled through Sea-Tac Airport on Nov. 5
- an unvaccinated 13-month old returning from an international trip who traveled through Chicago O’Hare International Airport, exposing others on Nov 4
Of course, less travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic has kept measles cases low in the United States, but unless folks get vaccinated and protected, they will rise as travel restrictions ease.
Even more importantly, are you vaccinated and protected with two doses of MMR?
For More Information On Measles Outbreaks of 2020:
- How Contagious Is Measles?
- What to Do If Your Child Is Exposed to Measles
- Can MMR Shedding Start a Measles Outbreak?
- A History of Measles Outbreaks in the United States
- When Was the Last Measles Death in the United States?
- Costs of a Measles Outbreak
- CDC – Measles Cases and Outbreaks
- MMWR – Increase in Measles Cases — United States, January 1–April 26, 2019
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreaks from Imported Cases in Orthodox Jewish Communities — New York and New Jersey, 2018–2019
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Community Outbreak of Measles — Clark County, Washington, 2018–2019
- Measles – Timeline | History of Vaccine
- Ask the Experts about MMR