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Measles is rare in the U.S. but is still endemic in much of the world, including many countries in Europe. Therefore, it can be contracted by susceptible groups, such as people who are not vaccinated, were born before 1957, or are not immune despite having been vaccinated. Two MMWR reports document recent measles outbreaks in several states.
In August 2007, a 12-year-old boy from Japan with unknown vaccination status traveled to an international sporting event in Pennsylvania while infectious with measles. One adult who was on the plane and another adult who stood near the boy at customs contracted the disease; neither adult had documented measles vaccination. Another adult with no documented measles vaccination who had contact with the boy …