In 2015 there has already been 84 reported cases of measles. In an average year, there are usually less than that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Considering 2015 is only a month old, the current measles outbreak does not look good, especially with the Super Bowl coming up and bringing together tens of thousands of people.

Many of these cases of measles can be directly tracked to an outbreak that occurred at Disneyland in December, but it has not shown any signs of slowing down quite yet. The measles outbreaks this year have already hit a total of 14 states, including California of course, but also Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Nebraska. Even Mexico has seen some of the spread.

New York state on the other side of the country is also on high alert about the measles, as an infected college student recently traveled across the country on Amtrak before knowing that he had the disease. New York has had three measles cases already this year, and anytime someone is around a lot of people in their contagious period it causes a lot of concern.

In Arizona, 1,000 people are currently being closely watched over a potential exposure to the measles. Arizona has had seven confirmed cases of the measles so far this year, and any residents who have not been vaccinated and may have been exposed are being asked to stay home for 21 days to avoid continuing the spread. Children are being urged to go straight home after school instead of heading to daycare, and any exposed adults are asked to avoid work in the meantime.

This is particularly important as the Super Bowl is being held in Arizona, and a measles spread at the game could be a truly devastating occurrence.

Arizona’s state health director Will Humble wrote about the outbreak on his blog.

“This is a critical point in this outbreak,” he said. He went on saying that missing cases could lead to “a long and protracted outbreak.”

Anyone who is exhibiting any signs of all that could possibly be the measles are being asked to stay away from the Super Bowl, as the large outbreaks generally start with just a couple cases.

Measles spreads pretty easily since it is a viral disease. That means coughing and sneezing is enough to spread the virus. Before vaccinations became common, somewhere between three and four million Americans caught the disease each year. The numbers have of course dropped significantly, but it would be better to do away with the spread completely. Some people are actually unable to receive the vaccine, specifically people with Cancer or HIV so the only way to protect them is to ensure that everyone around them is vaccinated and avoiding the disease.

Many people are hesitant to vaccinate their children these days for a variety of reasons, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge people to do it anyway. The measles vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing the disease and considered safe overall. It is suggested that children should be getting the first dose of the two part process at the age of one, and no later.