Measles is a highly contagious air-borne viral disease that can cause serious complications and death. Children under five years of age, adults over 20 years of age, pregnant people, and people with immunocompromised health are most at risk of measles complications.
Measles infection causes a rash to appear, alongside high fevers, diarrhea, coughing, runny nose, eye and ear infections. Someone who is infected can spread the disease to other people before noticing any symptoms, especially in the four days before and after the rash develops.
In severe cases, measles causes children’s brains to swell, leading to seizures, deafness, cognitive disability, and possibly death. About 1 in every 20 children with measles also contracts pneumonia, the top cause of pediatric death from measles, a serious respiratory illness. Measles even causes immune system weakening that can last weeks to years. A suppressed immune system increases the risk of infection due to secondary bacterial and other infections.
The most helpful actions you can take to prevent the spread of measles include isolating if you have a rash or believe you have been exposed, wearing a mask if around others, and contacting a healthcare provider immediately. Isolation is a key health precaution used to prevent people with confirmed or suspected measles from spreading the virus through respiratory droplets or cross-contaminated surfaces.
The CDC recommends that people of all ages protect themselves and their loved ones from measles, as well as vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, rubella, and/or varicella (chickenpox), by getting the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccines. These are both two-dose vaccines traditionally given during early childhood when the immune system is weakest against disease.
Teens and adults should ensure they have completed the two-dose protocol to be best protected in the case of an outbreak. Two MMR vaccines are available for use in the United States: M-M-R II and PRIORIX vaccines.
If you are pregnant or believe you could be pregnant, contact your healthcare provider immediately to test for measles and discuss vaccine options. Pregnant people may be advised to wait to get the MMR vaccine until they are no longer pregnant.
The CDC recommends that caregivers of young children and adolescents protect their kids from the highly contagious measles virus by receiving the two-dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Children over 6 months are eligible to get two doses of the MMR vaccine, which protects against all known strains of measles. Typically, the first dose should be provided when the child is 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose when 4 to 6 years of age. The MMR vaccine doses are typically provided years apart due to their long-lasting nature, however, children in high-risk settings can get their second dose sooner, so long as it is 28 days after the first dose.
Children who are traveling with family to overseas areas where measles is less controlled may require slightly different vaccine timing to provide the best protection while abroad. In most cases, children should complete the doses at least two weeks before traveling.
Children who are unvaccinated, under-vaccinated, or unsure of their vaccination status should receive an MMR vaccine immediately. Unvaccinated people who have been exposed to measles can still receive the MMR vaccine up to 72 hours after exposure to help prevent or reduce the severity of an infection.
There is also another vaccine bundle available to children 12 months to 12 years old that can further protect your child’s developing immune system. This vaccine targets the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) viruses and protects your child from four highly contagious diseases.
For additional and more personalized information about pediatric vaccine administration options, caregivers should contact their child’s healthcare provider.
Measles is one of the most highly contagious diseases and is amongst the global leading causes of death in children, despite the existence of a highly effective and safe vaccine. Medical and public health experts, including the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that children and adolescents aged 6 months and older get an MMR vaccine to help protect them from serious illness. It only takes a few days for antibodies to develop in response to the MMR vaccine. Within two to three weeks, the immune system is fully primed after vaccination.
Since 1968, the United States measles vaccine has been the single most effective and safe approach to ensure children do not experience hospitalization, long-lasting health impacts, or death due to this viral disease.
Measles outbreaks are most common in communities where larger groups of people are unvaccinated. Measles outbreaks are on the rise again in the United States after reaching national eradication in 2000. This is a major public health concern given that about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. with measles require hospitalization.
Yes. Since the early 1950s researchers and medical experts have worked to ensure that the measles vaccines are safe for children age 6 months and older. Today, MMR vaccines are routine for every child and most who receive the vaccine do not have any serious complications afterward. Decades of clinical trial data and monitoring millions of vaccinated children have continued to prove the vaccine is safe and effective.
Yes. As early as the 1960s, research has shown that measles vaccines are highly effective in preventing disease and the complications caused by the disease after exposure. According to CDC data, receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine provides the highest level of protection, at 97% effectiveness. Even if only one dose is received, protection is still extremely high, at 93% effectiveness.
It only takes a few days for antibodies to develop in response to the MMR vaccine. Within two to three weeks, the immune system is fully primed after vaccination.
News coverage of a measles outbreak in Florida and cases in 14 other states led to online discourse about the disease and the MMR vaccine. Much of the discourse is related to the Florida surgeon general’s letter to parents, which does not encourage vaccination and allows unvaccinated children to continue attending school. Some online posts
A measles outbreak at an elementary school in Florida’s Broward County prompted the circulation of debunked myths about the disease and the MMR vaccine. Some vaccine opponents claim that COVID-19 or measles vaccines caused the outbreak, while others argue that measles isn’t serious and that vaccines are unnecessary. Notably, some opposition to measles vaccination appears
