Check out how outbreaks unfolded in different states during 2019
The World Health Organization defines "elimination" of an infectious disease as "the absence of endemic virus transmission in a defined geographical area (e.g. a region or country) for at least 12 months in the presence of a surveillance system that has been verified to be performing well". In practice, this means that a country is measles-free if the disease is no longer constantly present in the country, although there may be occasional outbreaks. Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. But the surge in US measles cases in 2019 almost cost the country its measles elimination status. Learn more here.
This visualization shows the cumulative number of measles cases in the US on a state-by-state basis over a period of 21 weeks in 2019. Note that only states with recorded cases of measles are shown. New York City data is separate from New York State data due to the exceptionally high numbers of cases recorded. Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visualization adapted from D3 block by Joel Zief.
The 2019 New York measles outbreak was a series of measles cases that gave rise to considerable public debate around public health, religious freedom, and vaccine hesitancy. The combination of a high concentration of people who chose to remain unvaccinated for religious reasons and the population density of New York City sparked heated controversy regarding the ethics of vaccine exemptions. In April of 2019 New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio declared a public health emergency, requiring everyone over six months old in the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Borough Park to be vaccinated. The New York City Health Department finally declared the outbreak over in September of 2019.
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