190429 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a news conference declaring a public health emergency in parts of Brooklyn in response to a measles outbreak Image Credit: Reuters

New York: Measles continues to spread in the United States, with more 704 cases reported so far this year in 22 states.

US health officials on Monday updated the national tally. It has already eclipsed the total for any full year since 1994, when 963 cases were reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this year's count includes 44 people who caught the disease while traveling in another country. Some of them triggered US outbreaks, mostly among unvaccinated people. That includes the largest outbreaks, in Orthodox Jewish communities in and around New York City.

44

of the 704 people infected got the disease while travelling outside the US

Three-quarters of those who caught the extremely contagious disease are children or teenagers.

No deaths have been reported but 66 patients were hospitalised.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.