2019 Increase in Measles Reminds Us
About the Importance of MMR Vaccine
Y
ou may be hearing a lot
about measles lately. And
all of this news on TV,
social media, Internet, newspapers and
magazines may leave you wondering
what you as a parent really need to
know about this disease. The U.S. Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention
has put together a list of the most im-
portant facts about measles for parents
like you.
Measles can be serious. Some peo-
ple think of measles as just a little rash
and fever that clears up in a few days,
but measles can cause serious health
complications, especially in children
younger than 5 years of age. There is no
way to tell in advance the severity of the
symptoms your child will experience.
About 1 in 4 people in the U.S.
who get measles will be hospi-
talized
1 out of every 1,000 people
with measles will develop
brain swelling, which could
lead to brain damage
1 or 2 out of 1,000 people with
measles will die, even with the
best care
Some of the more common measles
symptoms include:
Fever
Rash
Runny nose
Red eyes
Measles is very contagious. Mea-
sles spreads through the air when an
infected person coughs or sneezes. It is
so contagious that if one person has it,
9 out of 10 people around him or her
will also become infected if they are not
protected. Your child can get measles
just by being in a room where a per-
son with measles has been, even up to
two hours after that person has left. An
infected person can spread measles to
others even before knowing he/she has
the disease — from four days before de-
veloping the measles rash through four
days afterward.
Your child can still get measles
in United States. Measles was de-
clared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000
thanks to a highly effective vaccination
program. Eliminated means that the dis-
ease is no longer constantly present in
this country. However, measles is still
common in many parts of the world, in-
cluding some countries in Europe, Asia,
the Pacific, and Africa. Worldwide,
19 cases of measles per 1 million per-
sons are reported each year and 89,780
people, mostly children, die from the
disease. Even if your family does not
travel internationally, you could come
into contact with measles anywhere in
your community. Every year, measles is
brought into the United States by unvac-
cinated travelers (Americans or foreign
visitors) who get measles while they are
in other countries. Anyone who is not
protected against measles is at risk.
You have the power to protect
your child against measles with a safe
and effective vaccine. The best protec-
tion against measles is measles-mumps-
rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR vaccine
provides long-lasting protection against
all strains of measles. Your child needs
two doses of MMR vaccine for best
protection:
The first dose at 12 through 15
months of age
The second dose 4 through 6
years of age
If your family is traveling overseas,
the vaccine recommendations are a lit-
tle different:
If your baby is 6 through 11 months
old, he or she should receive 1 dose of
MMR vaccine before leaving.
If your child is 12 months of age
or older, he or she will need 2 doses of
MMR vaccine (separated by at least 28
days) before departure.
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