Washington state has reported five new cases of measles, less than a week after legislators passed a law preventing personal or philosophical exemptions for the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine among school-age children.
The newly diagnosed cases include two in King County, two in Pierce County and one in Snohomish County. While four of the cases were diagnosed over the week, one of the Pierce County cases was diagnosed May 12.
The four individuals diagnosed over the week had all spent time in SeaTac airport during their likely time of exposure. The source of infection for the Pierce County man diagnosed over the weekend is unknown.
In 2019, there have been 77 measles cases reported statewide, as of May 15. An overwhelming majority of cases (71), were reported in Clark County. New reports of cases ceased after March 18, leading officials to declare the outbreak over, according to an Oregon Live report. Six weeks later, however, a new case was reported in Southwest Washington.
On May 10, the state's Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that prohibits parents from invoking personal or philosophical beliefs to prevent their children from receiving the MMR vaccine. The law does not prohibit personal and philosophical exemptions for other vaccinations.
Thus far, the CDC has reported 839 measles cases in the U.S., with 23 states reporting outbreaks.