How to help protect your kids from measles as school starts

As kids head back to school , federal health officials are emphasizing the importance of getting routine vaccinations against diseases like measles .

Over 200 cases of measles have been reported this year in more than two dozen states and Washington, D.C., which is more than triple the number of cases reported last year. Most are in children under 5 five years old who were not vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said we're seeing more measles cases because it's "very contagious."

"It's one of the most contagious viruses that are out there, but we have a way to protect ourselves, right? We want to make sure everyone is getting their vaccination," she said.

Earlier this year, a CBS News investigation identified at least 8,500 schools where measles vaccination rates among kindergartners were below the 95% threshold that the CDC identifies as crucial for protecting a community from measles.

"I'm traveling around the country reminding folks, ahead of going back to school: make sure your kiddos are up to date on their measles vaccine as well as polio and others. It's our best defense against some of these serious illnesses," Cohen said.

Among children born from 1994 through 2023, about 500 million cases of illness, as well as 32 million hospitalizations and 1,129,000 deaths, will have been prevented through routine childhood vaccinations, according to CDC data.

"We are our young ones' only defense against everything in the world," Erica Grandpre, a parent in Minnesota, told CBS News. "I've read it in the news over the last few years — you're like, really? I thought this was gone. I thought this was something of the past."