Prior to the year 1963, there were approximately 3-4 million cases of measles, with 450 deaths each year in the United States. Today, measles is no longer endemic in the United States due to vaccination, and in 2000 was declared eliminated.
Measles continues to be a problem in many other countries. In addition, the number of outbreaks in the United States has been on the rise in recent years. Public health officials have reported that the majority of outbreaks are due to unvaccinated Americans who have traveled to other countries. Even though measles is a vaccine preventable disease, it still is a leading cause of death among children worldwide.
For more information visit: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000114
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