Measles outbreak: Trump tells Americans to "get vaccinated"

President Trump told Americans to "get vaccinated" as measles cases spread across the country.

"Vaccinations are so important," he told reporters in front of the White House.

Nearly 700 cases have been reported in 22 states as part of a resurgence of highly infectious disease, says the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mr. Trump has appeared before to link vaccines and autism. Public health experts say that there is no link.

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Vaccination rates have steadily declined in the United States. Many parents have opposed for philosophical or religious reasons, or because they believe in discredited information that vaccines cause autism in children.

According to figures from the World Health Organization, more than 110,000 cases of measles were recorded worldwide in the first three months of 2019, an increase of 300% over the year last.

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