The measles were eliminated from the United States in the year 2000 — nevertheless, nearly 400 cases have been confirmed in 15 states so far this year.

The Centers for Disease Control say the cases are linked to travelers who visited Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, where large measles outbreaks are occurring.

As Hawaii gears up for summer travel season, we spoke with an expert about how to prepare.

Dr. James Ireland, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the U.H. John A. Burns School of Medicine, says the only two cases he’s seen personally in his career, were visitors from Asia who had not been vaccinated — and who were quarantined by the State Health Department.

We asked what the treatment was.

“Basically supportive care. No treatment. There is no treatment for the measles. It’s all prevention, it’s the vaccine, and that’s it. Because once you get it, you’re kind of stuck with it and it has to run its course, and you just have to hope it’s not a severe form because again, it can be fatal.”

Ireland says the rate of vaccination is fairly high, however — a family from Washington State with children who had the measles, was quarantined in Hawaii earlier this year.

“First of all there’s pockets of people in the United States that are un-vaccinated for various reasons, no access to healthcare, personal beliefs, parents didn’t get ’em vaccinated, stuff like that. Then if they come in contact with somebody, often from a foreign country, a traveler with the measles, then it can transmit to that person and then within the community.”

Ireland says the anti-vaccination movement stems in part from a decades-old study in a British medical journal which was later retracted — but people still point to it as a reason to refuse immunization.

Hawaii has an un-easy history with measles. In old Hawaii there was no vaccine, no immunity, and an outbreak wiped out nearly a third of the Native Hawaiian population. King Kamehameha II died in England from measles contracted during his travels.

Ireland says if you’re plannning travel this summer, there are travel medicine clinics that can prepare you for whatever diseases may be active at your destination.

He says there is also a simple blood test to determine if you have protection against the measles — and to check with your physician.