Preventing Measles Outbreaks

Each year, there are an estimated 20 million cases of measles worldwide. In the process, 164,000 people die, mostly kids under the age of 5.

In the U.S., however, toddlers ages 1 and up have been shielded from the deadly disease by means of an extremely effective vaccine. As a result, the U.S. hasn’t seen homegrown cases of the easily spread airborne virus since 2002. But a new “Pediatrics” study, exploring a 2011 outbreak in Minnesota, suggests that the U.S. is not home free yet.

The problem according to the researchers: parents who choose not to vaccinate their children