An expert answers questions about the measles

Can the vaccine still prevent measles if given after exposure? A: Yes. If administered within 72 hours of exposure, the MMR vaccine may prevent or lessen the severity of measles. Additionally, immune globulin therapy may be recommended for certain high-risk individuals within six days of exposure.

 Measles Cases Are Climbing; Who Needs Another Shot?

As measles cases proliferate across the country, more people are asking: Do I need a booster? Booster fatigue is real in some circles, post-Covid. Rest assured, the short answer for most of us is no, you probably don’t need a measles booster unless you live in an area with an outbreak. But there’s no harm in getting one if you only had one shot or are unsure of your status.

The Rash

The symptoms of measles generally begin between 7 and 14 days after the person was infected and start with 3-5 days of high fevers, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes followed by a rash. The rash consists of small red bumps on top of flat red spots that begin on the head and face near the hairline and move downward toward the feet to cover the body.

What is the difference between measles and rubella?

Measles.. Small white spots in the mouth (called Koplik spots) within 2-3 days. Then a rash, red spots spread to the body after 3-5 days. Rubella... ink rash that begins in the face and moves to the body, lasts 3-5 days.

Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department

Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department Health secretary earlier said outbreak was ‘not unusual’ but with first US measles death in decade steps up response Guardian staff and agencies Sat 1 Mar 2025 09.26 EST Share Two days after initially downplaying the outbreak as “not unusual,” the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Friday said he recognizes the serious impact of the ongoing measles epidemic in Texas – in which a child died recently – and said the government is providing resources, including protective vaccines. “Ending the measles outbreak is a top priority for me and my extraordinary team,” Kennedy – an avowed anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who for years has sown doubts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines – said in a post on X.

Kennedy Said Measles Outbreaks Are ‘Not Unusual.’ Here’s What the Data Says.

Experts answered key questions about the severity of the virus and the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Measles Can Damage the Immune System for Years

An infection can also leave children and adults with other long-term health problems. A bout of measles sends the immune system into shock, demolishing critical cells that help our bodies respond to threats. This can leave people extremely susceptible to other pathogens for weeks after an infection. The virus also attacks the immune system’s memory cells. These cells remember and recognize the pathogens you’ve encountered over the course of your life and protect against them, said Dr. Michael Mina, a former professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who has studied measles and immunity. Scientists call the phenomenon “immune amnesia.”

Measles Is Horrible

The anti-vaccine movement is wrong to dismiss the disease’s dangers (as it is wrong about so many things).

Measles making a comeback in US due to vaccine skepticism, says CDC

Though measles had been eradicated in the US in 2000, the disease is expected to continue a nationwide spread primarily because of vaccine skepticism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said.

Measles Outbreaks in the U.S. Highlight the Importance of Vaccination

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases. It is also vaccine-preventable. Experts worry misinformation and falling vaccination rates could cause more outbreaks in the U.S.

Measles Outbreaks Show Why Anti Vaxxers Made WHO's 10 Global Health Threats

Look at what made the World Health Organization's (WHO's) just-released list of "10 threats to global health in 2019." Right alongside the Ebola virus, HIV, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, pollution, and non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease is "vaccine hesitancy." That's right, one of the biggest threats is not a disease, not the lack of a prevention measure or a treatment, and not the lack of resources.

Measles: A resurgent threat in Canada

In the landscape of public health, few stories are as compelling as the unexpected return of a disease we once thought was conquered. Measles, a highly contagious viral infection formally considered eliminated from Canada in 1998, is making a surprising comeback, challenging our public health systems and communities at large.

Measles: Why it’s so deadly, and why vaccination is so vital

Thanks to vaccination, however, between 2000 and 2016 there was an 84 percent decrease in measles mortality, and over 20 millions deaths were prevented due to vaccination. What an achievement... These successes don’t mean the measles is gone or that the virus has become weak. Far from it. Seeing the virus up close and personal over all these years and knowing what happens when it runs rampant in an infected host gives me such respect for this minuscule “little bag of destruction” whose genetic material is 190,000 times smaller than ours. It’s also ironic how losing sight of the disease because of the success of vaccination has brought new societal challenges.

Anti-Vaccine Movement Causes Worst Measles Epidemic In 20 Years

Perhaps the Disneyland epidemic, which has now spread to 14 states, will finally convince parents, schools, and state legislatures that they need to insist that children get vaccinated before going to school. Perhaps it will also convince parents to stop listening to nonsense, and choose wisely by getting their children vaccinated against measles. We won this battle before, and we can win it again.

Children Are Dying From Measles At An Alarming Rate: Report

The Measles & Rubella Initiative has warned that the only way to get back on track to eliminating the virus is by raising awareness about the disease’s effects, increasing funding and supporting vaccine campaigns.

Disneyland Outbreak Lesson: Vaccinations Prevent Measles

Even though measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000, outbreaks can occur when unvaccinated travelers pick up the measles abroad, importing the virus as an unwelcome, and often unknown, souvenir

Mankind almost beat measles, but the virus is storming back in Europe

So why the high rates? Officials in Europe and America are pointing, in part, to the populations of parents who are actively choosing to not vaccinate their children.

Measles is Dangerous in Adults: Who and How to Assess for the MMR Booster

The 2025 measles outbreak is predominantly affecting children, but measles is highly contagious and adults remain at risk, especially if they have not received the MMR vaccination.

Measles Outbreaks Are a Sign of Bigger Problems

For health agencies tracking global vaccine coverage, the disease is the canary in the coal mine.

Measles outbreaks cause alarm: what the data say

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened matters, says Bedford. At first, the number of measles cases dipped because of social-distancing measures. But vaccine uptake also dropped, contributing to the latest surge, she says. Moreover, anti-vaccine messaging during the pandemic caused some people to question vaccine safety, which might have delayed uptake, says Bedford. “People have got more questions, which, unfortunately, due to cuts in public-health funding, aren’t always properly addressed,” she says.

Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine Not Linked to Autism, Large Study Concludes

A study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, even in children considered to have an elevated risk of developing the disorder.

Measles: Perilous but Preventable

Measles was eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning that the infection no longer originates here. But worldwide, there are still about 20 million cases a year; in 2013, about 145,700 people died of measles. Travelers can bring the virus into the United States and transmit it to people who have not been vaccinated.

Measles: should vaccinations be compulsory?

With measles rising across America and Europe, should governments go further and make vaccination compulsory? Most would argue that this is a terrible infringement of human rights, but there are precedents.

Ready or Not: Responding to Measles in the Postelimination Era

As measles incidence increases, clinicians have a vital role to play. We need to talk to our patients about measles vaccination and remind them what is at stake if imported measles cases continue to land in communities of unvaccinated persons, especially for those who are too young or ineligible to be vaccinated.

Separating Fact from Fiction: The Truth about Measles, Vaccines and How It All Affects You

Anyone who received the measles vaccine prior to 1968 should be immunized again, as vaccines during that period could not fully protect an individual.

The Struggle to Fight Measles in Close-Knit Communities

Research on how to change the minds of vaccine-resistant parents is ongoing, but experts say with such diverse populations there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

This Mama Isn’t Scared of the Shmeasle Measles

I’m not vaccinating my children. No way. No how. Not ever. This mama isn’t scared of the shmeasle measles.

Traveling Abroad? Born Before 1989? You May Need a New Measles Vaccination.

The wildly contagious virus is still alive and well in Europe, Africa, and Asia—if you’re going there, you might need better protection.

Washington State Becomes Latest Hot Spot in Measles Outbreak

These outbreaks are largely caused by a drop in vaccination rates in some communities, and the World Health Organization recently declared the antivaccination movement as one of the top 10 global health threats in 2019.

Why measles is back in the US

Measles is back in the United States. This completely preventable disease was eradicated in 2000 but has made a comeback in the past decade. More people have gotten measles in the first three months of 2019 than in all of 2018. But the outbreaks aren’t occurring all over the US — they’re happening within specific groups of people.

Why Mumps And Measles Can Spread Even When We're Vaccinated

Measles is a terrific vaccine. If you get two doses, it's predicted to protect 99.99 percent of people for life... The mumps vaccine, on the other hand, is not so good. The protection rate varies from study to study. But it's usually in the mid-80s.

Worried About Measles? Don't Call Dr. Bob Sears

The virus is still out there, beyond our borders, and unvaccinated people travel beyond those imaginary lines that pathogens don’t seem to honor and bring them home. Clearly, the real barrier between the US and measles is our domestic vaccine program. If measles breaks out in your actual community, don’t actually call him. Just get yourself and your children vaccinated if you haven’t already.

‘ Measles destroyed my health – my parents didn’t vaccinate me’

Sorrel Kinton missed out on childhood jabs due to vaccine hesitancy. It was a decision that cost her dearly.