Measles is a highly contagious disease and understanding the virus and what you can do to protect yourself, your family and others around you is important for the health and safety of people worldwide.

Like many other viruses, measle outbreaks come and go. Though North America doesn't typically report many cases of the measles each year, the last few months and past year indicate a pattern of more and more outbreaks. Coupled with the unfounded claims that the measles vaccine causes associated health problems, there's been an increase of people at risk, who in turn put others at risk.

Knowledge is often the best outbreak prevention, so let's examine how measles spread, what the latest outbreak means and address the misconceptions about the measles vaccination. Differentiating facts from misconceptions can save you and your loved ones from contracting and spreading the measles virus.