Measles is on the verge of a national record. Here’s what it means for Maryland.

With five new cases of measles reported Wednesday in Maryland, the nation is again on the verge of a record-shattering year.

There have been 2,231 infections so far this year in nearly every state, federal officials reported last week. That’s just 58 cases shy of the last year’s numbers — which broke a record set 35 years ago.

“This is a grim milestone and one that could have been avoided, as we have a safe and highly effective measles vaccine that is widely available in the United States,” Dr. William Moss, an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement.

“It is tragic that misinformation about the vaccine is getting in the way of keeping people safe,” said Moss, executive director of the Johns Hopkins University’s International Vaccine Access Center.

Moss and other experts say measles is an especially contagious and dangerous disease, which can not only be deadly, but have profoundly damaging long-term impacts on people’s immune systems.

Most people recover from measles without problems. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that complications from an infection can include pneumonia, brain swelling called encephalitis and issues for pregnant women such as premature birth and low birth weight. About one in five unvaccinated people with measles is hospitalized.

The Maryland Department of Health warned the public Wednesday evening about the five new cases, which bring the state’s total cases for the year to nine.

Officials said the five people in Carroll County contracted measles after visiting a high-risk area out of state, but did not provide details about the exact location. They said anyone who visited Carroll Hospital Center’s emergency department waiting room on Monday between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. could have been exposed.

Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Tiny droplets of the virus can remain suspended in the air for up to two hours.

Health officials said those exposed should monitor themselves for 21 days for symptoms that initially include a cough, fever, runny nose and watery eyes, and days later, a red rash.

Those with early symptoms should not go to school or work and should contact their health care provider rather than going to an emergency room or urgent care center without calling first to avoid infecting others.

Maryland has typically had high vaccination rates with the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, including among students who need the shot to enter kindergarten. But officials point to pockets of unvaccinated people.

Some have religious objections, but public health officials say a growing number question the safety of the vaccine, fueled by what they say is misinformation spread by vaccine critics, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy has sought to link the vaccine to rising cases of autism, but public health officials have long said that that has been disproven.

State health officials say people can check their vaccines status with their doctors or request their records online through My Immunization Record, known as MyIR.

People born after 1989 likely received two doses of the vaccine and are generally considered protected, as are those born before 1957 because they were likely infected.

Those born between 1967 and 1989 likely had one dose that also comes with a high level of protection, though less than two doses. People born between 1963 and 1967 may also have gotten one of two vaccines that was found to be less effective and may want to talk to their doctor about another shot.

The health department said insurance generally covers the vaccine, and state and federal programs cover adults and kids who are uninsured or underinsured, through their local health department.