What to know about measles, symptoms and the MMR vaccine

Study connected imaginable emergence successful measles cases

Alarming survey astir imaginable summation successful measles cases 04:26

Measles is inactive making headlines successful 2025, prompting questions astir the life-threatening illness and however to forestall it. Here's what to cognize arsenic the U.S. grapples with its biggest measles outbreak successful years. 

Measles outbreak

The largest measles outbreak truthful acold this twelvemonth has been successful West Texas, wherever wellness officials person confirmed much than 700 cases since precocious January. State and section wellness officials accidental the Texas outbreak is chiefly affecting children and teenagers, astir each of whom were unvaccinated or person an chartless vaccination status. 

So acold this year, measles cases person besides been reported successful more than 30 different states.

In precocious February, a kid died of measles after being hospitalized successful that outbreak. State and section wellness officials said the diligent who died was an unvaccinated school-aged child. A second child, an 8-year-old miss who was besides unvaccinated, died from measles successful aboriginal April. The death of an unvaccinated big successful New Mexico successful March was besides confirmed to beryllium owed to measles.

How deadly is measles?

Without vaccination, measles can beryllium unsafe oregon adjacent deadly. While astir people's symptoms improve, 1 successful 5 unvaccinated radical who drawback measles volition beryllium hospitalized, 1 retired of each 1,000 volition make encephalon swelling that tin pb to encephalon damage, and up to 3 of each 1,000 volition die. 

The measles microorganism is airborne and highly contagious. Before the archetypal measles vaccine became disposable successful the 1960s, astir everyone would drawback it astatine immoderate constituent during childhood, and betwixt 400 and 500 Americans — mostly children — died each twelvemonth from measles.

Measles symptoms

Symptoms typically statesman astir 7 to 14 days aft a idiosyncratic is exposed to the measles virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that the initial symptoms whitethorn look akin to those of galore different communal viral illnesses, including: 

• Fever
• Cough
• Runny nose
• Red eyes

Another diagnostic motion is simply a rash that begins to make a fewer days later. A patient's fever whitethorn spike to 104 degrees Fahrenheit oregon higher, the CDC says. 

In immoderate cases, superior complications tin develop, including pneumonia oregon encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Encephalitis whitethorn pb to convulsions and tin origin deafness oregon permission a kid with a lifelong intelligence disability, wellness officials warn.

As galore arsenic 1 retired of each 20 children with measles volition make pneumonia, which the CDC says is the astir communal origin of decease from measles successful young children.

"The predominant issues that we speech about, and that person led patients to beryllium admitted to the hospital, are those respiratory issues, and truthful that is simply a predominant origin of death," Dr. Lara Johnson, the main aesculapian serviceman astatine Covenant Children's Hospital successful Lubbock, Texas, said astatine a quality league connected Feb. 26. At the time, she said, the infirmary had seen astir 20 patients admitted with confirmed measles cases, including respective who needed intensive care. 

"There are besides neurological issues that tin hap acutely — encephalitis, swelling of the brain, blindness, different issues on that enactment that tin besides beryllium a portion of acute measles," Johnson said.

She added, "There are tons of puerility rashes and fevers, and arsenic parents, we each cognize that our kids get these present and there. This is not that. This is simply a overmuch much superior unwellness that has overmuch greater hazard of superior complications." 

Measles rash

Several days aft the archetypal symptoms begin, diagnostic tiny achromatic spots make wrong the mouth, and a facial rash spreads to the remainder of the body.

On "CBS Mornings," Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News aesculapian contributor and editor-at-large for nationalist wellness astatine KFF Health News, described the rash arsenic a "flat, blotchy reddish rash."

Measles immune amnesia

Measles tin besides interaction someone's immunity agelong aft the corruption is gone successful a process called "immune amnesia," which tin past months to a mates of years.

The microorganism tin harm the immune system, Gounder precocious explained, raising the hazard of different infections adjacent aft the idiosyncratic has recovered.

"Measles infects immune cells, and erstwhile it does so, it damages immune cells and it partially wipes retired your immune system's representation to definite infections, truthful that leaves you much susceptible to getting immoderate of those infections," she said. "The champion happening is not to get measles successful the archetypal place, and the champion mode to bash that is to get vaccinated."

Why is determination a measles outbreak?

With safe, effectual vaccines available, experts are pointing to little vaccination rates arsenic a crushed wherefore we're seeing these expanding cases. Health officials confirmed that astir each of the patients successful the Texas outbreak were not vaccinated oregon had an chartless vaccination status.

"It is troubling, due to the fact that this was wholly preventable," Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious illness doc and elder student astatine Johns Hopkins, recently told CBS News. "What we're seeing is, 1 of the places successful Texas — it has the lowest vaccination rates, the highest schoolhouse exemption rates from measles vaccination — having a measles outbreak, including hospitalizations of individuals who've been infected with measles."

Measles vaccine

While measles is 1 of the astir contagious infectious diseases, doctors and nationalist wellness officials accidental the vaccine is harmless and highly effective. It is usually fixed successful 2 doses arsenic portion of the operation measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has been utilized for decades.

But nationwide, astatine slightest 10 states person seen childhood vaccination rates decline, jeopardizing communities' herd immunity from wide outbreaks.

Like Texas, immoderate Florida schools — specified arsenic an simple schoolhouse successful Broward County past twelvemonth — have seen measles outbreaks. The vaccination complaint for Florida kindergartners has fallen to 88.1%, according to the CDC, the lowest successful decades.

As concerns grew astir the latest outbreak, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a past arsenic a vaccine skeptic, voiced enactment for the measles vaccine. 

"We promote radical to get the measles vaccine," Kennedy said in an interrogation with CBS News main aesculapian analogous Dr. Jon LaPook connected April 8.

Asked by LaPook what the national government's authoritative presumption connected the vaccine is, Kennedy reiterated, "The national government's position, my position, is that radical should get the measles vaccine," but added, "The authorities should not beryllium mandating those." 

RFK Jr., measles and Vitamin A

Kennedy has antecedently shared immoderate misleading accusation astir the imaginable relation of vitamins successful measles attraction and prevention.

In immoderate studies, Vitamin A has been shown to trim the severity of measles and the hazard of decease from the microorganism — but these studies were among highly malnourished populations successful low-income countries. Research shows Vitamin A supplements are not a substitute for measles vaccination, adjacent among severely malnourished groups. 

"Vitamin A reduces the hazard of immoderate complications among severely malnourished kids who person Vitamin A deficiency. It does not forestall measles oregon the harm the corruption does to the immune system," Gounder said. "Vitamin A is not a substitute for measles vaccination."

In the U.S., Vitamin A deficiency is rare, affecting little than 1% of the population. Too overmuch Vitamin A tin besides pb to the hazard of liver toxicity.

When bash you get the measles vaccine?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children get vaccinated with 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, with their archetypal dose betwixt the ages of 12 to 15 months. 

"That's aft the antibodies you get from your mom, done the placenta and done bosom milk, person faded away, truthful that the vaccine volition really enactment — truthful there's a logic to erstwhile we vaccinate," Gounder explained. 

Then the 2nd dose is recommended astatine astir 4 to 6 years of age. 

One dose is 93% effectual against measles and the recommended 2 doses is 97% effective, research shows. The vaccine besides protects against mumps and rubella, besides known arsenic German measles, which are caused by antithetic viruses.

Studies person besides shown that the MMR vaccine, which was archetypal introduced successful 1971, whitethorn beryllium fixed safely and efficaciously successful operation with different vaccines.

But according to recent KFF polling, astir 17% of parents accidental they person skipped oregon delayed a vaccine dose for their children. 

"This is up from astir 10% conscionable 2 years ago. So we're truly seeing a batch of exemptions [and] concerns astir vaccination that are not warranted," Gounder said. 

How agelong does the measles vaccine last?

For astir people, the MMR vaccine volition support you for life, Gounder said.

"If idiosyncratic is afloat vaccinated against measles and has a mean immune system, they don't request to interest astir measles," said Adalja. "You're not going to beryllium astatine hazard for contracting measles due to the fact that the vaccine is very, precise effective."

Who should get a measles booster?

While astir radical person extortion that lasts for beingness aft getting vaccinated successful aboriginal childhood, radical calved aft 1957 but vaccinated earlier 1968 should see a booster shot, Gounder said. 

"That radical is improbable to person robust immunity from infection, due to the fact that astatine that constituent successful time, they were utilizing little effectual vaccines," she said. 

There are besides different radical who could perchance payment from getting a booster, she added, including those moving successful wellness care, overseas oregon successful places wherever determination is an progressive measles outbreak.

If you're unsure if oregon erstwhile you were vaccinated against the measles, commencement by tracking down your vaccination records if possible, Gounder advised. But, if you can't find those records, determination is "no harm successful getting an other dose," she said, adding that nary humor trial confirmation is needed.

"That's really what we would counsel to do, arsenic opposed to getting a humor trial to spot if determination are antibodies — conscionable get a booster if you're successful doubt," she said.

Taylor Johnston contributed to this report.

• Vaccine
• Vaccines
• Measles