The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the United States has tracked 1,958 measles cases so far this year, nearing the 2,000-case milestone just one month before the country will likely lose its elimination status.

The total represents 46 new US cases.

There have been 49 US outbreaks reported in 44 US jurisdictions, the CDC said, as well as 24 measles cases reported among international visitors to the United States. Eighty-eight percent of all measles cases reported this year have been outbreak-associated.

Among US cases, 26% are in children under the age of 5 years, 41% of patients are between 5 and 19 years, 32% are 20 years or older, and 1% have unknown ages. Ninety-three percent of case-patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status, while 3% have one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and 4% are fully vaccinated.

So far, 222 people (11%) have been hospitalized for measles infections in the United States this year, and three have died.

More school exposures in South Carolina

Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina face the biggest ongoing outbreaks as the year comes to a close. Late yesterday Utah officials confirmed 10 additional measles cases, raising the state total to 125 cases.

Ninety-one cases are in the Southwest Utah health district. Neighboring Arizona reported 14 new measles cases, raising the state total to 190 cases. All but four of those cases have occurred in Mohave County.

And in South Carolina, officials said there are now 138 cases of measles, 135 of which are part of a growing outbreak in the Upstate region.

The nine new cases reported in the Upstate outbreak have multiple exposures, including one new school exposure at Berry Shoals Elementary.

“Five of the new cases are from previously reported exposure at the Way of Truth Church in Inman, three were known household exposures, and one was from a neighborhood contact,” South Carolina officials said in a news release. “There are currently 168 people in quarantine and one in isolation.”

Of the 138 cases in South Carolina, 90 are in children ages 5 to 17, with the outbreak taking hold in elementary schools that had low vaccination rates earlier this fall.

In other news, Colorado reported three new cases this week, raising the state total to 36. All three new cases occurred in unvaccinated residents.