April 12 (UPI) — The number of measles cases in the United States has now surpassed 700, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in its latest update.
The majority of those cases are in Texas, which this week reported 36 new cases since its last update, bringing that state’s total to 541 since January.
The CDC update this week confirmed a total of 712 cases across 24 states and New York City, which is counted separately from New York State.
Arkansas this week became the latest state to report a verified case.
Over 65% of the Texas cases are in the western part of the state, particularly in Gaines County, which has a population of 21,500 people and one of the lowest vaccination rates against the highly-contagious virus.
In March, the number of measles cases in Texas surpassed the total number of diagnoses in the entire United States in 2024.
Last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy attended a funeral for an 8-year-old girl, the second child in Texas to die from measles during the current outbreak.
“My intention was to come down here quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief,” Kennedy told reporters at the time.
While there, Kennedy did say publicly that a vaccine remains the “most effective” way to prevent contracting measles, which usually shows symptoms around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
He has faced criticism for his department’s response so far.
Kennedy earlier this week claimed the measles outbreak was flattening.
