By Illinois Radio Network/Cole Lauterbach

SPRINGFIELD – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 220 cases of measles in 26 states.

Of these, four have been reported in Illinois, the CDC reported. Measles was virtually eradicated in the U.S. through vaccinations.

That’s more than in 2017, when no measles cases were reported in Illinois, but within the average range of cases from year-to-year, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The reason for the measles development, Shah said, is due in part to a lack of vaccinations, mostly in other countries.

“One of the reasons right now is a lot of folks in this generation just haven’t seen or witnessed or experienced the terrible illnesses that diseases that can be prevented by vaccinations can cause partly, because of the success of those vaccines,” Shah said.

The vaccines have become a victim of their own success, and because those diseases like measles and smallpox are not really seen in big numbers, we don’t have that understanding of how bad they really were,” he added.

Shah said that 3 million to 4 million people contracted measles before the introduction of the vaccine, with 500 children dying from the disease and another 50,000 hospitalized.

“Vaccinations have been shown to be one of the safest and most effective things you can do to keep your family, safe as well as other people around you,” Shah said. “We really urge everyone to take some time and make sure all the vaccines in their family are up to date.

Travelers in the United States also bring measles from countries where the disease is more prevalent and vaccinations aren’t easily accessible.

“I can’t think of anywhere else in the world in the history of science where so much progress has been made against a disease that affected so many people in such a short span of time,” Shah said.

Measles was eliminated in 2000 in the U.S.