Louisiana and Indiana have joined the ranks of 13 other states reporting measles cases this year amid a national resurgence of the virus.
At least 35 measles cases have been confirmed in 15 states since the start of 2024, the CDC reported Feb. 23. Most cases have affected young children and adolescents who were not vaccinated against the disease.
Four more updates:
1. Children's Hospital New Orleans was treating two children with measles as of Feb. 21, marking Louisiania's first cases since 2018, The Times-Picayune reported. The children were diagnosed Feb. 20, and both had recently traveled out-of-state, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
2. On Feb. 23, Indiana health officials confirmed the state's first measles case since 2019. Officials did not disclose the age or vaccination status of the infected individual, only saying the person was a resident of Lake County, Ind.
3. Florida has reported at least eight measles cases this year, six of which are tied to an outbreak at an elementary school in Broward County. The state also confirmed two new measles cases Feb. 25 involving children in the county who do not attend public school, according to CBS News.
The CDC recommends parents keep unvaccinated children at home for 21 days, which is the incubation period for measles. However, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, sent a letter — obtained by The Washington Post — to parents Feb. 20, encouraging them to make their own decisions about whether to send their children to school during the outbreak. As of Feb. 26, 33 of the school's 1,067 students were unvaccinated, according to CBS News.
4. The CDC is urging healthcare providers to monitor patients for measles symptoms amid the uptick. In response, many emergency departments are retraining their employees about how to identify the condition.