In the United States, from 1987 to 2000, the most commonly reported complications associated with measles infection were pneumonia (6%), otitis media (ear infection) (7%), and diarrhea (8%) (8). For every 1,000 reported measles cases in the United States, approximately one case of encephalitis (brain swelling) and two to three deaths resulted (9–11). The risk of death from measles or its complications is greater for infants, young children, and adults than for older children and adolescents.

• First, stay home. The health department will be contacting you
• If you are vaccinated, you should be protected and don’t have to be excluded
• If you are not vaccinated, you must be quarantined for 21 days
  • Or you can receive the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

• Reach out to your healthcare provider.
• Stay home

All children, adolescents, and adults born in 1957 or later should have documentation of vaccination or other evidence of immunity, such as a blood test or a documented history of measles infection. For recommendations based on your age, health status, or risk of measles, talk to your doctor. Information is also available on the CDC website for recommended vaccines.

One dose of measles-containing vaccine administered at age ≥12 months was approximately 94% effective in preventing measles in studies conducted in the WHO Region of the Americas. Measles outbreaks among populations that have received 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine are uncommon. The effectiveness of 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine was ≥99% in two studies conducted in the United States.

There are some contraindications to keep in consideration:

• Avoid MMR in patients with a high fever, serious disease, or in pregnant women.
• Mild concurrent infections are not a contraindication, and measles vaccination is not known to exacerbate TB.
• Those with a history of an anaphylactic reaction to neomycin, gelatin, or other components of the vaccine should not be vaccinated.
• Measles vaccine is contraindicated in persons who are severely immunocompromised as a result of congenital disease, HIV infection, advanced leukemia or lymphoma, serious malignant disease or treatment with high-dose steroids, alkylating agents or antimetabolites or in persons who are receiving immunosuppressive therapeutic radiation.

MMR vaccine might cause fever (<15%), transient rashes (5%), transient lymphadenopathy (5% of children and 20% of adults), or parotitis (<1%). Febrile reactions usually occur 7–12 days after vaccination and generally last 1–2 days. The majority of persons with fever are otherwise asymptomatic.

• • IOM concluded that the body of evidence favors rejection of a causal association between MMR vaccine and risk for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), including autism, inflammatory bowel diseases, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

• MMR vaccine is recommended for the following potentially exposed groups:
  • Exposed persons (6 months and older) without evidence of immunity to measles –administer MMR within three days of exposure.
  • Preschool-aged children (1-4 years) or adults who have received one MMR dose with community-wide transmission – a second dose should be considered.
  • Adults born before 1957 and are reasonably sure they have never been vaccinated or had disease.
  • Healthcare workers/ volunteers or those with contact with children under the age of 5 with no vaccine documentation or lab evidence of disease/immunity
  • Persons infected with HIV who are ≥12 months of age and who do not have evidence of current severe immunosuppression.
  • Perinatal HIV infected individuals who were vaccinated before establishment of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) with 2 appropriately spaced doses of MMR vaccine once effective ART has been established.
• IG (IM) is recommended for the following potentially exposed groups:
  • Infants 0-6mths – administer IG
• The dose is 0.50 mL/kg body weight, with a maximum of 15 mL intramuscularly. The recommended dose of IG for immunocompromised persons is 0.5mL/kg of body weight (maximum 15 mL) intramuscularly.
• IG (IV) is recommended for the following potentially exposed groups:
  • Severely immunocompromised persons
  • Pregnant women without evidence of measles immunity who are exposed to measles.

There is no scientific evidence that any vaccine, including MMR, causes autism. View information on Autism and Vaccines from the CDC.

If you were born before 1957, you most likely had the disease as a small child and are protected against getting infected again. If you were born in 1957 or later, and don’t have your shot record, visit your primary care physician. Your doctor can perform a simple blood test to test to see whether or not you are protected against measles. Your doctor may also recommend that you receive the measles shot.

People born before 1957 lived through several years of epidemic measles before the first vaccine was available. As a result, these people are very likely to have had the measles disease. Thus, 95–98% of those born before 1957 are immune to measles.

Not necessarily. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s do not need to be revaccinated. People who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with an inactivated (killed) measles vaccine, or vaccine of unknown type, should be revaccinated with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. If you are unsure about your vaccine history, your doctor can help determine if you need additional vaccination against measles.