That points to the major problem in battling measles. Measles remains one of the major causes of death among young children, particularly among the very young. In 2013, there were an estimated 145,700 deaths worldwide. But the good news is that vaccinations may have prevented an even larger toll – it's estimated that more than 15 million children around the world would have died from 2000-2013 without the measles vaccine.

During that same period, thanks to increased vaccination, the number of cases worldwide dropped an estimated 75 percent, with more than 80 percent of the world’s children getting a measles vaccine dose by their first birthday.

Measles is part of the paramyxovirus cluster and is typically passed through proximity. It is strictly a human affliction and does not occur in animals. Thus, it remains prevalent in large public spaces where children and other unvaccinated people may gather. Recently, a college in Queensland, Australia experienced a measles outbreak, and clusters of the disease keep cropping up unexpectedly.

Problematic Beliefs

Adding to the difficulty in eradicating measles is the problem of parents who believe that measles vaccinations themselves are the problem.

Most of the issues with vaccination can be tied to one particularly discredited bit of research that linked the measles vaccine to autism, causing some cautious parents to withhold their children from having the shots administered. Surprisingly, it’s not superstitious belief among the uneducated and poor that’s the lone camp with this belief. Wealthy Marin County near San Francisco, a bedroom community for the high-technology set, was found to be one of the leaders in the number of unvaccinated children applying for school admission.