by Dr. Beth Oller
As a doctor who has been in practice for 15 years I have never seen a case of measles. Why? Because vaccines work. Measles was declared eliminated in this country in 2000, which is why many of us have never been infected or known anyone with measles. Before the first measles vaccine was made available in 1963, this single virus was responsible for over 2.5 million deaths around the world each year. In the United States there were 3-4 million cases of measles each year, resulting in 400 to 500 deaths. Most of these deaths were in children less than 5 years old or the elderly. Deaths are usually caused by pneumonia (infection of the lungs) or infection of the brain (encephalitis).
It takes 95% of the population to be vaccinated against measles to avoid an outbreak-when you are vaccinating yourself or your child you are not just taking care of your family, you are helping to care for our community. We are seeing outbreaks currently because of the lack of vaccination.
It is true that most children who get measles will eventually recover, but the fact that two children have already died in this outbreak underscores the fact that this is a serious illness, and that measles vaccination needs to be taken seriously.
Measles is the most contagious infectious disease or virus that is known. It is spread through respiratory secretions and can remain on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left the room. If you put 100 people in a room who are not immune to measles and one person with measles enters that room, at least 90% of those in the room are going to get infected with measles. In unvaccinated populations a person with measles will infect 12 to 18 susceptible contacts, while a person with COVID will only infect 1 to 2 susceptible others. This means measles is about 10 times more infectious than COVID.
Measles vaccination is extremely effective. After a single dose 93% of measles infections are prevented, and after two doses 97% are prevented. We generally give the first dose between 12 and 15 months of age and the second between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. However in areas where there is currently an outbreak or if you are in surrounding counties or traveling to an area of the world where measles is prevalent I would recommend talking to your provider to see if vaccination earlier is appropriate as the 2nd dose of measles vaccination can be given 28 days following the first.
The first symptoms of measles start one to two weeks after exposure to the infection and include fever, runny nose, cough and red eyes. This is followed by a red rash that usually starts on the face and rapidly spreads over the entire body. Fever increases as the rash spreads. Complications of the illness including ear infections, pneumonia and brain infection occur around one to two weeks into illness.
RCH Key points
- Recommend two doses of MMR vaccine at age 4.
- If traveling to known areas of outbreak, double check inoculation status prior to arrival
- Visit with your primary care provider to determine a need for modification to your child’s MMR vaccination schedule
- Monitor indwelling county disease status as well as surrounding counties.
- Visit with your healthcare provider about the need for a booster vaccination
- Visit with your primary care provider or local public health department if you have any questions regarding the vaccine or disease
- If you are worried you or your child may have measles, please call your primary care provider to determine if medical attention is appropriate and what precautions they would like you to follow upon arrival.
