If 2010 was the year of whooping cough, 2011 is rapidly becoming the year of measles. The Centers for Disease Control has reported 118 cases in the United States since January—the most cases since 1996. Twenty-three states are involved. 40% of the people infected (47 cases) were ill enough to be hospitalized. Fortunately, there have been no deaths.

But here is the part that really resonates with me as a pediatrician who lives and breathes preventative health care: 89% of the people who contracted measles (that’s 105 people, if you are doing the math) were not vaccinated to protect against this illness. And, 46 of the 47 people who ended up hospitalized were not vaccinated. We are so fortunate to live in a world of modern medicine, yet—for whatever reason— there are those who don’t take advantage of it.

The U.S. has done a really good job of keeping the measles virus at bay (thanks to most children receiving their vaccinations on time). Unfortunately, measles continues to be a very common, and very contagious illness in other parts of the world. In fact, most of the 2011 American cases have been imported from countries like India and France. Given how much people travel around the world, we can’t let our guard down on infectious diseases. This measles outbreak is a clear example of why. Protect your child by vaccination and let’s prevent what’s preventable! You can’t just rely on others vaccinated around you to protect your family.

Want to know more about the 2011 U.S. measles outbreak? What are the early signs of illness? How to protect your family against this potentially serious infection? Come join me, USA Today health writer Liz Szabo, and Centers for Disease Control infectious disease expert Dr Huong McLean on Twitter at #measleschat on Wednesday, June 15 at 1p EST.