Measles

A person with measles can pass it to others from 4 days before a rash appears through the 4th day after the rash appears.

A person is considered immune to measles if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Had measles in the past, and have laboratory confirmation to prove it, OR
• Have laboratory evidence (a blood test that shows whether the body has antibodies to fight off the virus) of immunity, OR
• Have written documentation of adequate vaccination with measles-containing vaccine in the past (often given as MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine)
  • One or more doses of a measles-containing vaccine administered on or after the first birthday for preschool-age children and adults not at high risk
  • Two doses of measles-containing vaccine for school-age children and adults at high risk,         including college students, health care personnel, and international travelers, OR
• Were born before 1957
  • Adults born before 1957 are likely to have had measles disease as a child and are generally (but not always) considered not to need vaccination

If you have questions regarding your measles vaccination status, please contact your healthcare provider.

The MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine is a safe and highly effective method to protect against measles infection. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide about 97% protection. Vaccination helps protect those who are vaccinated, and high vaccination rates also protect those unable to be vaccinated including immunocompromised patients and infants too young to be vaccinated.

The most important thing parents and others can do to help protect their families and communities from measles is to make sure that everyone who can be vaccinated is vaccinated against measles.

• Measles can be a serious disease, with 30% of reported cases experiencing one or more complications. Death from measles occurs in 1 to 3 per 1,000 reported cases in the United States. Complications from measles are more common among very young people younger than 5 years, and among pregnant people or those with weakened immune systems.

• Measles is one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases; up to 9 out of 10 susceptible people with close contact to a measles patient will develop measles.

​​​​​​​Make sure you are vaccinated. The best protection for a person with a compromised or weak immune system is to be surrounded by vaccinated people. 

For the measles vaccine to work, the body needs time to produce protective antibodies in response to the vaccine. People are usually fully protected after about 2 or 3 weeks.

You can spread the disease up to 4 days before you develop a rash. Therefore, it is best to limit contact with those in your household and they should review their immune status.