( CNN ) Each year , on average , about 60 people in the United States are reported to have measles , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . However , this year is on track to be one of the worst for measles in more than a decade , and health officials say people who refuse to vaccinate their children are behind the increase . The number of cases reported through August 24 is 159 -- the second-highest number of cases since 2000 , when measles was declared eliminated from the United States . In 2011 , there were 222 cases . As of November , there have been 175 cases reported , according to CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden . The elimination declaration means measles no longer spreads year-round in the country , the CDC says . But it is still common throughout the world . Of this year 's cases , 172 were import-associated , meaning they were brought into the country from overseas , according to a paper published Thursday in JAMA Pediatrics . The other three were likely directly imported . U.S. measles cases in 2013 may be most in 17 years . Here are 5 things to know about measles : . Measles is caused by a virus . The measles virus normally grows in the cells lining the back of the throat and lungs , according to the CDC . It causes fever , runny nose , cough and a blotchy rash over the entire body . Other symptoms include red , watery eyes , body aches and tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth . A typical case begins with mild to moderate fever , cough , runny nose , red eyes and sore throat . Two or three days after symptoms begin , the white spots may appear in the mouth , the CDC says . A red or reddish-brown body rash begins three to five days after symptoms appear . It usually begins at the hairline on the face and spreads downward . A person 's fever may spike as high as 104 degrees when the rash appears . Measles can be fatal . About one in 10 children with measles also gets an ear infection ; up to one in 20 gets pneumonia ; about one out of 1,000 gets encephalitis ; and one or two out of 1,000 die , according to the CDC . It can also make a pregnant woman miscarry or give birth prematurely . Measles kills an estimated 164,000 people around the world yearly , and there are an estimated 20 million cases worldwide . More than half of the deaths occur in India , according to federal health officials . Before the measles vaccine was introduced , nearly all children got measles by the time they reached the age of 15 . Each year in the United States , about 450 to 500 people died from measles ; 48,000 were hospitalized ; 7,000 had seizures ; and about 1,000 suffered permanent brain damage or deafness , according to the CDC . Measles is highly contagious . Measles can be spread from four days before a rash appears to four days afterward . It is so contagious , in fact , the CDC says 90 % of people who are not immune and are close to someone with measles will also become infected . The virus spreads through the air when an affected person sneezes or coughs . The droplets get into people 's noses or throats through breathing or when someone puts their fingers in their mouth after touching an infected surface . The virus can live on infected surfaces for up to two hours . If you 've already had measles , you ca n't get it again , because your body has built up immunity to the virus , according to the Mayo Clinic . The measles vaccine does not cause autism . The measles , mumps and rubella vaccine was licensed in 1971 to protect against all three diseases . Nearly 10 million doses of the MMR vaccine are distributed each year in the United States . The CDC recommends two doses : One at 12-15 months of age and a second at 4-6 years of age . This means that babies are not immune , and can contract the measles from unvaccinated people . In 2010 , the medical journal The Lancet retracted a controversial 1998 paper linking the MMR vaccine to autism . The study had been discredited , and its author , Dr. Andrew Wakefield , was found to have acted unethically in conducting the research . Wakefield , in a statement at the time , denied wrongdoing . Probe of early autism-vaccine complaints was limited , report says . There is still resistance to MMR and other vaccines . Among those who have been stricken with measles this year , 92 % were not vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status . The largest outbreak was in New York , where 58 people contracted measles in a community where many refuse to be vaccinated for religious reasons . The outbreak -- the largest since 1996 , according to the CDC -- stemmed from an intentionally unvaccinated 17-year-old who returned to New York from London while infected with measles . Vaccinations in general continue to be a hot topic , with some parents opposed for religious or other reasons . `` Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting infected when they travel internationally , '' the CDC says . `` They can bring measles to the United States and infect others . Unvaccinated people put themselves and others at risk for measles and its serious complications . '' Former staffer : Measles church counseled faith , not shots .
an estimated 164,000 measles cases have been reported so far each year in the India . Measles continues to kill 175 people worldwide each year . 90 % of measles victims this year were not vaccinated or had unknown vaccine status .