NEW YORK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cases of measles, a highly contagious virus that primarily affects children, are surging in Texas and several other U.S. states, according to official tally.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported on Tuesday that an outbreak in northwest Texas escalated from two cases among unvaccinated children in Gaines County to 58 cases across five counties. The majority of the infected children were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
On Feb. 14, New Mexico officials declared an outbreak in Lea County, just across state lines from Gaines County. Three residents tested positive for measles during the week.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data through Feb. 6 showed five states with measles cases: Alaska, Georgia, New York, Rhode Island and Texas.
The last major outbreak of measles in the United States occurred six years ago when 22 outbreaks led to 1,249 cases from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1, reported USA Today on Wednesday.
According to the CDC, the 2019 outbreak was the highest in a single year since 1992, eight years before measles was declared eliminated in the United States.
