Nigeria, Aug. 3 -- The United States has recorded its highest number of measles infections in 35 years, prompting the country's Health Secretary, Robert Kennedy, to publicly urge parents to vaccinate their children against the highly contagious disease.

Mr Kennedy made the appeal during an interview on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, saying parents should ensure their children receive the measles vaccine as infections continue to rise across the country.

"Parents should get their children vaccinated for measles. A measles vaccine is effective. It stops measles in about 97 per cent of the cases. People should get vaccinated," he said.

His remarks came after the US officially recorded 2,371 confirmed measles cases this year, surpassi...