What do you need to know about measles? Once thought of as long-gone in the U.S., recent measles outbreaks have put this virus back into the headlines - making many parents wonder if their children are protected. If you have kids, look at the top measles-related questions every parent needs answers to right now.
Simply stated - anyone who isn't immune. This doesn't matter if your child is a toddler or a teen because measles is an equal opportunity infector. The disease can even affect adults who aren't vaccinated or immune.
According to The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) director Dr. Robert Redfield, two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are 97 percent effective with preventing the disease. A single dose has an effectiveness of nearly 93 percent.
Even though the vaccine isn't 100 percent effective, it's the best bet for reducing the risk of contracting the disease. Most healthy children will get the first MMR dose between 12 and 15 months of age. Your child will get a second dose of the vaccine between ages four and six years.
Some infants may get a dose of the vaccine early. The CDC recommends the vaccine for babies as young as six months if they travel internationally. If your family travels overseas and your infant gets an early dose, they'll still need to get the 12- to 15-month and four- to six-year boosters as well.
This question has no easy answer. Some children have a mild case of the disease, while others have a severe reaction. A mild case of measles can cause a fever and rash that go away without treatment.
Serious complications of the disease can include high fever and brain swelling. Measles symptoms are often more severe in young children under age five, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system. According the CDC, one out of every four Americans with measles will require hospitalization. This statistic includes people of all ages - children and adults.
Thanks to vaccination, measles was declared eliminated - in the United States, not worldwide - almost two decades ago in
2000. Even though the overall number of global cases has decreased, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that seven million people around the globe had the disease in 2016. This makes traveling outside the U.S. risky for anyone who isn't vaccinated.
Given the prevalence of the disease on a global level, travelers from other countries can bring measles into the United States. Unvaccinated children and adults can catch the disease from international travelers (or anyone else who has the virus).
Recently, several larger scale U.S. outbreaks have made news. The 2019 outbreak numbers were the highest America has seen since the disease was declared eliminated.
Measles is extremely contagious. The CDC notes that if one person with the virus encounters 10 people, nine of them will get the disease (provided none of them are protected via immunization).
When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the virus can spread through the air and easily infect other non-immune people. Not only can you, or your child, get measles directly from an infected person but the virus can live for up to two hours after the person has left the area.
Along with the ease of transmission, an infected person can spread the disease without knowing it. Measles patients are infectious from up to four days before they show symptoms through four days after their symptoms have subsided.
Does your child need a measles vaccination or booster shot? Contact
NEON
for more information.
