US reports nearly 500 confirmed cases of measles, Texas worst hit

The US government has said that there are 483 confirmed cases of measles across 20 jurisdictions around the country, with the largest outbreak being reported in Texas.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that 97 per cent of the measles cases have been reported in unvaccinated or those people whose vaccination status was unknown. The health agency added that 75 per cent of the cases have affected people younger than 19 years of age this year.

The primary outbreak this year has been in Texas, resulting in deadly consequences. As of March 28, the Texas Department of Health confirmed 400 measles cases.

In New Mexico, the health department reported 44 measles cases on Friday, an increase from 43 on March 25.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a rash -- but can also lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.

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The report of the growing number of cases comes at a time when the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Robert F Kennedy Jr, has announced plans to lay off 10,000 employees and close half of its regional offices.

Kennedy has alarmed health experts with his rhetoric downplaying the importance of vaccines against measles, a childhood disease once vanquished in the United States, and suggesting that avian influenza should be allowed to spread freely among poultry.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Mexico said it will be stepping up a measles vaccination campaign after cases spiked in an area bordering the United States.

Mexico has confirmed 43 measles cases, 39 of which were recorded in the northern state of Chihuahua and linked to imported infections, Health Minister David Kershenobich told a news conference.

More than half of the cases are in children under nine years old, Kershenobich said.

With inputs from agencies