Measles

Measles is a virus that causes fever and a rash, and it can cause serious health complications. It is highly contagious and anyone who is not vaccinated against the virus can get it at any age.

Measles is not widespread in the United States because of high vaccination rates. However, it is still common in other parts of the world and is sometimes brought into the U.S. by visitors or returning travelers.

There are currently several outbreaks of measles outside of the U.S., and even within the U.S., making it especially important for people to be vaccinated.

If you plan to travel outside the U.S., make sure you are protected against measles by getting vaccinated before travel. This includes an early, extra dose of measles-containing vaccine for infants ages 6 to 11 months.

• CDC: Measles Outbreak in the United States

How Measles Spreads

Measles is very contagious. If one person has measles, up to 90% of people around them will also get it if they are unvaccinated or otherwise not immune .

The measles virus lives in an infected person’s nose and throat mucus. Measles spreads through the air when someone with measles sneezes or coughs. The virus can stay in the air for up to two hours. This means people get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left the room. People can also get measles by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. A person can be contagious four days before the rash appears and for four days after the rash appears.

Prevention

Vaccination is the best way to prevent measles. Anyone who has received two doses of a measles vaccine is considered immune for life and unlikely to get measles.

Vaccination is safe and effective.

MMR Vaccine

In the U.S., the measles vaccine is combined with mumps and rubella vaccines into one vaccine called measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). A child should get an MMR vaccine at 12 months. A second dose of the MMR vaccine should be given at 4 to 6 years of age, before children enter school. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles.

Infants ages 6 to 11 months who are traveling internationally should receive an early, extra dose of the MMR vaccine at least two weeks before travel. Children ages 12 months and older should receive two doses before international travel. Check with your pediatrician if you are planning a trip to make sure your children are protected.

For information on where you or your child can get vaccinated, call 311 or search the NYC Health Map.

MMR Safety

Most people who receive the MMR vaccine do not have any side effects. Some people experience mild side effects, such as fever, mild rash or swelling. Severe problems are very rare. The current measles vaccine has been used safely for decades, keeping children healthy and saving many thousands of lives in the U.S.

Because of widespread vaccination, cases of measles have decreased more than 99%. Before the measles vaccine was available, an estimated 3 million to 4 million people got measles and 500 people died each year in the U.S.

Vaccine ingredients do not cause autism. More than 25 articles have been published since 1999 that have found no link between vaccines and autism, as well as no link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children. Sources claiming otherwise are not based in science.

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Vaccines and Autism

Vaccination Requirements in NYC

• All children enrolled in pre-kindergarten, nursery school, day care programs, and Head Start are required to receive one dose of the MMR vaccine.


• Children enrolled in grades K through 12 and college students are required to have two doses of the MMR vaccine.


• Health care workers should have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.

Where to Get Vaccinated

Most pediatricians offer MMR vaccine. For help finding a vaccination site:

• Call 311
• Visit the NYC Health Map
• Visit the Fort Greene Immunization Clinic

Symptoms and Treatment

Symptoms usually start seven to 14 days after exposure to the virus. In some cases, symptoms may start as late as 21 days after exposure.

Early symptoms include:

• Fever, which can reach more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius)
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red, watery eyes

Three to five days after initial symptoms, a rash of red spots appears on the face and then spreads over the entire body.

Anyone can become infected with measles, but the virus is more severe in infants, pregnant people and people with a weakened immune system (such as from cancer treatment or HIV). Complications of measles include:

• Diarrhea
• Ear infections
• Pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
• Encephalitis (swelling of the brain)
• Miscarriage, premature birth or low birthweight in pregnancy
• Death

There is no specific medicine for measles, but there are medicines that can reduce symptoms, such as fever. People with complications may need treatment specific to their health problem.

About one in five people who get measles in the U.S. will be hospitalized. About one of every 1,000 people will develop encephalitis, which can lead to brain damage. And even with the best care, one or two out of 1,000 people with measles will die.

In rare cases, several years after having had measles, people develop a complication called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a fatal disease of the central nervous system.

Cases by Year