The CDC is
following 23 confirmed cases of
between December 1, 2023 and January 23, 2024.
The notification, sent via email to healthcare providers, noted the cases have been reported in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Washington, D.C. area. Amongst the cases, seven are from international travelers. There have been no reported cases of measles in North Carolina so far this year, nor were there any in 2023.
“Of all the current infectious diseases we have, measles is the most infectious one, substantially more infectious than
,
or
, meaning if I am infected and everyone around me were susceptible, something like 15 to 18 people around me would become infected. It’s airborne. The virus hangs around the air for a very long time. In fact, there are cases where the patient with measles left a room in the emergency department and up to two hours later, people going in that room acquired measles,” said Dr. David Weber, Medical Director of Department of Infection Prevention at UNC Medical Center.