According to the numbers provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it seems measles may be coming back. Although the 131 cases reported so far for 2008 cannot be considered to be alarming, when comparing the situation to those recorded in previous years, it can be observed that since 1996, this is the highest number of measles cases.

Although no deaths have been reported, fifteen patients had to be hospitalized. When taking a look at the way measles used to affect the U.S., when more than three million people reported the condition annually, 2008’s balance may seem perfectly fine. In those times, up to 50,000 Americans would be hospitalized annually and about 400 to 500 would be killed by the condition.

Obviously enough, as technology and research have evolved a lot, medical care is much more effective as well. Although vaccination is available pretty much anywhere nowadays, some parents choose not to send their children to the doctor’s office to get the shot. Out of this year’s 131 cases, 112 involved unvaccinated people.

The regular symptoms for measles include fever and diarrhea, but the condition has some more serious forms too, and patients can even develop pneumonia or encephalitis. 

On Thursday, during a teleconference, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said measles is brought each year in the U.S. by people who travel abroad; however, this year is a bit different, as measles seems to be spreading much more rapidly.