NYC Reports First Measles Cases Of 2024: Officials

NEW YORK CITY — NYC health officials on Friday confirmed the city's first measles cases of 2024 and continued to stress the importance of parents vaccinating their children against the disease.

First reported by Gothamist, two cases have been recorded in New York City so far this year. Both cases were travel-related and not due to local transmission.

While the city typically sees some measles cases each year, Department of Health spokesperson Patrick Gallahue said the disease is "always a cause for concern."

"As soon as a case is identified, the city takes action to identify anyone who may have been exposed, provide guidance, and connect people with appropriate resources," Gallahue said.

Nationwide, measles cases are on the rise, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since Jan. 1, a total of 41 measles cases have been reported in 16 states.

Last year, a total of 58 cases were reported.

According to city health officials, New York City reported six cases in 2015 and one case in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, no cases were reported between 2020 and 2022.

Gallahue said the city remains ahead of the national averages for vaccination rates. During the 2022-23 school year, 97.3 percent of children had received their two-dose MMR vaccine compared to national averages of 93.1 percent.

Still, Dr. Celia Quinn, the city's deputy commissioner for disease control, said at a hearing this week that childhood vaccination rates remain below pre-pandemic levels, Gothamist reported.

As of this week, 95.3 percent of students in K-12 public and charter schools throughout New York City were up to date with all vaccine requirements, compared with 98.5 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Quinn.

Quinn also noted immunization rates are down between 2 and 16 percentage points from 2019, depending on vaccine type and age group, Gothamist reported.

Measles is a contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. A person will be contagious four days before the rash appears and for four days after the rash appears, according to city health officials. They are no longer contagious on the fifth day after the rash started.

Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Three to five days after a person experiences initial symptoms, a rash of red spots appears on the face and then spreads over the entire body.

Vaccination remains the best way to prevent measles, health officials said. Anyone who has received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine is considered immune and unlikely to get measles.

Learn more on the New York City Department of Health's website.