 The Army Medical Command is raising awareness about measles outbreaks across Europe and here in the U.S. In 2017, 61 people from the U.S. have already contracted measles, mostly individuals too young for immunizations or not immunized due to religious, philosophical, or personal objection. So what is measles? It's a viral infection of the respiratory system that spreads through contact with infected mucus and saliva. It's a leading cause of death in the world's children, with 114,900 deaths related to measles last year, most victims being under the age of five. But this isn't just a childhood disease, 9 out of 10 people who come in contact with the virus aren't immune unless inoculated, with elderly being the second highest mortality group. Mostly, because infected can transmit the disease up to four days before showing symptoms of rash, fever, cough, runny nose, or red watery eyes. But there's good news. Most Americans are already immunized since early childhood, and due to an aggressive stance on inoculations for service members and their families, the military community has only experienced three cases in the last four years. So then why are we even talking about it? Because there's still two groups of people in our community that are vulnerable. If your spouse is born-born and wasn't on the U.S. Infantization Schedule as a child, they may need to receive a vaccination now, despite their age. Or if you have a child under one year who is traveling or born overseas, they are incredibly vulnerable. For questions on protecting your infant with an early dose of measles vaccine, or to review your family member's immunization status, talk to your primary care manager. And if you have questions or topic ideas for SITREP, let us know on Facebook or Twitter.