LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States has registered 1,618 measles cases with three deaths so far this year, the highest number since 1992, according to official data released on Wednesday.

Among them, 1,595 cases were reported by 42 domestic jurisdictions and 23 cases were among international visitors to the United States, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The total represents the most U.S. infections since 1992, when the CDC recorded 2,126 measles cases.

Of the confirmed cases this year, 198 cases, or 12 percent of the total, have required hospitalization, including 95 children under the age of five. Three people have died from measles.

According to the CDC, 92 percent of measles cases in the United States occurred among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

Public health experts said the figures reflect a sharp resurgence of measles in the United States and underscore the importance of vaccination coverage.