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There Were More Measles Cases In January Than The Whole Of 2012 [Infographic]

This article is more than 9 years old.

After attempts to eradicate it, measles is back and spreading fast. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January saw 102 measles cases in the United States, almost double the number for the whole of 2012. The majority of these are part of a large outbreak across 14 states linked to Disneyland, California.

Immunization against measles has turned into a major political debate over the past few days with two prominent Republicans, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, indicating they have sympathy for parents who decide against vaccinating their children.

The majority of people who contracted measles in January were unvaccinated and both President Obama and Hillary Clinton have claimed children must be immunized against infectious diseases. Measles was declared eradicated from the United States in 2000, but as can be seen by the infographic, it's making an unwelcome comeback.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)