JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — A spokesman for the state Department of Health says five cases of measles have been reported in Tennessee this year.
The Jackson Sun reports that residents living in Madison, Gibson, Hardeman, Hamilton and Shelby counties have been diagnosed with the highly contagious disease.
A statement from the department says it’s the first time measles has been reported in Tennessee in three years.
The disease United States declared measles eradicated in 2000, although there are occasional outbreaks when overseas travelers spread the disease to Americans who haven’t had immunization.
For most of the last decade, the nation was seeing only about 60 cases a year. But since 2010, the average has been nearly 160 cases.