Seemingly, all of a sudden, we're beginning to see outbreaks of diseases that we

assumed were defeated decades ago. Now in a previous episode we already

discussed the rise in leprosy cases here in America, which is obviously pretty bad.

However, what's perhaps even worse, just because it's so much more contagious is measles. Measles is a highly

infectious disease that manifests itself as a runny nose, cough, inflamed eyes, sore throat,

fever, as well as the characteristic red blotchy skin all over the whole body.

And suddenly, we're beginning to see pockets of

outbreaks across the entirety of the US. As just one example of many, five days

ago you had local health authorities in Philadelphia issue a warning saying

that a traveler who went through Philadelphia International Airport may have exposed others to the virus.

However, before we dive into what actually happened at the airport, let me give you a brief history of measles as a manifest here in America.

In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States

requiring U.S. health care providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases.

In the first decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each year.

In the decade before 1963, when a vaccine became available, nearly all children got measles by the time

they were 15 years of age. It is estimated that 3 to 4 million people in the United States were

infected each year. Also each year among reported cases an estimated 400 to

500 people died. 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 suffered encephalitis, the

swelling of the brain from measles. Measles was declared eliminated, which is the absence of continuous disease

transmission for greater than 12 months from the United States in the year 2000.

This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States,

as well as better measles control in the America's region.

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