New positive measles case sparks concern

(CNN) — A child in Maine has tested positive for measles, officials said, marking the first case in the state since 2019.

Measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 thanks to an intensive vaccination program, according to the CDC. Vaccination rates in the US have dropped in recent years, sparking new outbreaks.

The CDC recommends all children get two doses of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine; the first dose between 12 to 15 months of age and the second between the ages of 4 to 6. The child who tested positive had received the measles vaccine, but is being considered “infectious out of an abundance of caution,” the Maine CDC said.

There have been a total of 10 documented cases of measles in eight states this year