Medical health tileJACKSON, Tenn. - A spokesman for the state Department of Health says five cases of measles have been reported in Tennessee this year.
Woody McMillin told The Jackson Sun that residents living in Hamilton, Madison, Gibson, Hardeman and Shelby counties have been diagnosed with the highly contagious disease.
A statement from the department says it is the first time measles has been reported in Tennessee in three years.
The disease has been considered eliminated in the United States since 2000 other than occasional outbreaks due to people traveling overseas, and then spreading it among those who aren't vaccinated.
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.