(Reuters) -Measles cases in New Mexico rose to 43 on Tuesday, the state health department said, reporting an additional case since its previous report four days ago.
Most of the cases were reported in Lea County, which is located adjacent to Gaines county in Texas.
Gaines county has been the center of the current measles outbreak in the United States that began in late January, and has led to over 370 cases nationwide, surpassing last year’s count of 285 infections, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The latest New Mexico case is reportedly one of the 31 infected people from the state who were not vaccinated. The state did not report any additional hospitalizations or deaths due to measles.
In recent years, federal health officials have attributed some outbreaks to parents refusing to vaccinate children.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has for years sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of immunization, said last month that he recognizes the serious impact of the current measles outbreak in Texas and that the government is providing resources, including vaccines.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Shinjini Ganguli)
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