(CNN) – There have been 940 cases of the measles in the U.S. this year, according to the latest statistics released by the centers for disease control.
The U.S. measles outbreak continues to spread. Since January, there have been 940 diagnosed cases across the country. And of the 26 states affected, New York has been the hardest hit with a reported 785 cases in New York City and Rockland County since last September.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman said, “Across the state parents are watching the total number of cases tick up, week after week and they’re getting worried.”
New York legislators are calling for an end to non-medical exemptions for vaccines.
New York State Assemblyperson Jeffrey Dinowitz said, “We want to make sure that everybody if they want their children to go to a school, vaccinates their children.”
On Friday, Maine passed a bill similar to what New York is trying to do: becoming only the fourth state in the U.S. to ban non-medical exemptions to all vaccines
Northe Saunders with Maine Families for Vaccines stated, “I believe in the science behind vaccines, I think that it’s proven that community immunity protects at-risk individuals.”
In April, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a law removing personal exemptions from just the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Religious and medical exemptions are still allowed.
And in Oregon, legislators are working on a bill to ban non-medical exemptions.
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