In 2000, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that “measles was eliminated from this country” This statement made many Americans feel as if a weight had been taken off their shoulders; little did they know, it would make another appearance in 2014 from Disney Land, better known as the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

Many scientists and doctors believe the sudden outbreak came from Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California. There are currently three major outbreaks in the United States, the biggest one in Disney Land, the others in Illinois and Nevada. In 2014 there were 644 cases of measles, many of which were from Disney Land and an Amish community in Ohio. Many of the people from this specific Amish community were against getting vaccinated.

 The problem with not getting vaccinated is when the amount of people without a shot becomes big enough to reverse advances in technology. More than half of all people who have or have had measles were never vaccinated. The CDC assumes that travelers from countries where the disease is still prevalent are bringing measles  into the U.S. Therefore “anti-VAXes” are at a higher risk of contracting the disease from immigrants and vacationers.

The average number of cases in a year in the U.S. is around 60. In 2014, the number of cases was 11 times more than an average year. In the month of January there have already been 104 cases of the measles; that’s only one month into the new year (the number of cases is already a sixth of what we saw last year).

Doctors say there is almost a 100% chance of preventing the disease if you get vaccinated twice; once around a year old, and again around 5 years old. Protect yourself and protect those around you; get vaccinated for measles.