Measles jumps borders in North America with outbreaks in Canada, Mexico, U.S.

NEW YORK, May 1 (Xinhua) -- North America's three biggest measles outbreaks continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases, reported The Associated Press (AP) on Thursday, noting that three people have died in the United States and one in Mexico.

"It started in the fall in Ontario, Canada; then took off in late January in Texas and New Mexico; and has rapidly spread in Chihuahua state, which is up to 786 cases since mid-February," said the report.

"This virus was imported, traveling country to country," Leticia Ruíz, director of prevention and disease control in Chihuahua, Mexico, was quoted as saying.

North and South American countries have struggled to maintain the 95 percent measles vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks, according to Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization.

A recent World Health Organization report said measles activity in the Americas region is up elevenfold from the same time last year and that the risk level is "high" compared to the rest of the world's "moderate" level. Enditem