Measles Cases Continue To Surge Across North America

The AP (5/1, Shastri, Janetsky) reports measles outbreaks in the US, Mexico, and Canada “continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases; three people have died in the U.S. and one in Mexico.” The outbreak has reached 663 cases in West Texas, while Mexico’s Chihuahua state “is up to 786 cases since mid-February.” Meanwhile, six out of Canada’s 10 provinces have reported measles cases, with Ontario’s case count reaching 1,020 as of Wednesday. The outbreaks are located “in areas with a notable population of certain Mennonite Christian communities who trace their migration over generations from Canada to Mexico to Seminole, Texas.” Mexican and US officials also warn that “the genetic strains of measles spreading in Canada match the other large outbreaks.”