It's not an epidemic but an increase in cases of measles is being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The source is said to be travelers returning from abroad.

Officials say that too many Americans are not immunized.

Hearing that nearly 130 people in 15 states are fighting the measles in this day and age, is surprising to Susan Stewart of Council Bluffs.

"It's kind of scary," she says. "Because you think if measles are going to come back then everything else that you had shots for may come back."

Many are not immunized like Susan's three-year-old granddaughter Kaylee Baker. Kaylee is current on all of her required vaccines, including her measles shot.

Susan says, "I think a lot of people think I'm not going to get it. It won't happen to me. Well, it will and it can."

It's a message that Dr. Kari Simonsen hopes people in the metro consider taking seriously.

Dr. Simonsen says, "Everyone should take this seriously. All people are susceptible to the infection if they've not previously had the infection or had vaccine against it."

Nebraska and Iowa are not on the CDC's measles watch list at this point but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Dr. Simonsen says, "This illness is only a plane ride away and it could be in our community any day and we need to always be aware of that."

The symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, redness and irritation. An estimated 250,000 people in the world die from the measles every year.