There Were More Measles Cases In January Than the Whole Of 2012

Everybody's talking about measles right now. After it was declared eradicated in the United States, the disease is making a comeback amid a political dispute about the need for vaccinations. Two prominent Republicans, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, said they have sympathy for parents who decide against vaccinating their children.

Their comments came in the middle of the latest measles outbreak, which has been linked to Disneyland in California and now spans 14 states. Most of those who contracted the disease in recent months were unvaccinated and both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have claimed children must be immunized against infectious diseases. There were more measles cases in January than the whole of 2012. 2014 was an especially bad year with 644 confirmed cases in total.