Measles Cases in Pennsylvania Now Surpass 1,500: State Health Department

The number of measles cases in Pennsylvania reached 1,505 as of Monday, up 18 from the previous update on Friday, as the state battles its worst outbreak of the disease in years.

Here are more details:

Pennsylvania reported 73 new cases over the past seven days, according to the state health department’s dashboard
Measles-related hospitalizations rose to 290 from 287 in the previous update
The state has reported six measles-associated deaths this year
People under 18 accounted for 33% of cases
Fewer than 1% of infected people in the state were fully vaccinated
The CDC reported 5,182 US measles cases in the US as of November 5, the highest annual tally since 1991
People who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown accounted for 96% of US cases this year.

Pennsylvania remains the state hardest hit by the outbreak, followed by South Carolina and Utah, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

A Pan American Health Organization expert commission is due to review whether the US still meets the criteria for measles elimination at its meeting this week. The country has held that status since 2000.

(Reporting by Kunal Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)