5 best ways to avoid getting sick with measles, according to experts

Measles cases in the United States hit a sobering milestone this week. As of Wednesday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last updated its weekly count, 1,288 cases have been confirmed in 2025, more than any year since 1992. “And we’re just halfway through the year,” said Lisa Lee, a professor of population health sciences at Virginia Tech.

Like the common cold, measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is highly transmissible: According to the CDC, if just one person has the disease, 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people nearby will catch it, too. “Measles is one of the most, if not the most, contagious disease we’ve ever seen,” Lee said. Symptoms such as a high fever, runny nose, cough and white spots on the inside of the mouth tend to develop first, followed by a distinctive measles rash with flat red spots.

Most people recover after a week or so. But measles sometimes leads to complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis that can be serious, particularly in young children, pregnant people and those with weakened immune systems. Before 1963, when a vaccine was introduced, the World Health Organization estimates the disease was responsible for 2.6 million deaths a year.

Measles was considered eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, at which point infections had not continuously spread for at least 12 months. More recently, the number of outbreaks has surged, probably fueled by a nationwide decline in childhood vaccinations. Most cases this year have occurred in unvaccinated children, a recent research letter published in JAMA noted.

Measles outbreaks can be especially alarming for parents of young children and those who are unable to get vaccinated for various reasons. To protect yourself and loved ones, here’s what health experts recommend.

Receiving two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is “the single most important thing that people can do to protect themselves,” said Jennifer Brull, a family physician in ​Fort Collins, Colorado​​,​ and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Children should get their first dose in this series at ages 12 through 15 months, with a second dose between 4 and 6 years, before entering school. (Alternatively, the CDC says if parents prefer, kids ages 1 to 12 years old may be given the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, or MMRV, vaccine, which also protects against chicken pox.)

After two doses, the MMR vaccine has a 97 percent success rate at preventing measles, making it extremely effective, said David Hamer, a professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and Medicine. “It’s actually one of the best vaccines we have for childhood illnesses.” Health insurance plans usually cover childhood immunizations, but if yours doesn’t or your child is uninsured, check to see if they are eligible for free vaccines through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program.

If your child didn’t get vaccinated according to the CDC’s recommended timetable, you can get them back on track. “There really is no problem getting a vaccine at any time,” said Ian Michelow, division head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at Connecticut Children’s. The CDC has a catch-up schedule for children 18 years and younger your provider can follow, and doing so “is very, very easy,” Michelow said.

Adults who didn’t receive an MMR shot as children and don’t have presumed immunity can and should get caught up later in life. For example, people born before 1957 are presumed to be immune because most were naturally exposed to the virus, but if you were born later you probably need proof of vaccination. “If you happen to be someone who didn’t get vaccinated, or your parents didn’t vaccinate you, it’s not too late,” Lee said. The CDC recommends one or two doses separated by at least 28 days for adults and adolescents.

Everyone should have this protection if they are eligible, but the CDC says it is particularly important for some groups to receive an MMR series if they didn’t in childhood and don’t have immunity. This includes health care workers, students, anyone traveling internationally and women of childbearing age who aren’t currently pregnant. The MMR vaccine should not be administered during pregnancy, though it is safe to get if you are breastfeeding.

“It’s the youngest children who have the greatest risk,” Michelow said. “But it doesn’t mean that anybody couldn’t get complications from measles.”

Two doses of the MMR vaccine offer lifelong protection, and the CDC does not recommend an additional “booster” shot for most people. But some groups may benefit from an extra or precautionary dose. “If you are concerned, you either don’t know if you’ve been vaccinated or you’re not sure you’ve had the two doses” — maybe you only remember one — “you should talk with your health care provider” about a measles booster, Lee said.

For example, adults who only received one MMR dose as children and will be in high-risk settings may get a second shot, the CDC says, including health care workers, international travelers and students. A small group of people vaccinated between 1963 and 1967 were given a “killed” version of the measles vaccine,which differs from the current, more effective MMR, and should also now receive the live attenuated vaccine, Hamer added.

Not sure if you were ever vaccinated? If you can’t find your vaccination records and were born after 1957, blood tests can determine if you have antibodies. The CDC doesn’t usually recommend this, though. Instead, your provider may simply suggest another dose, since there is no harm in getting one if you have a healthy immune system.

As we mentioned, the MMR is a live attenuated vaccine, meaning it is powered by a weakened form of the virus. Live vaccines are safe and effective for most people. But this vaccine type isn’t recommended for some, such as pregnant people and those who are immunocompromised or have severe allergies.

People who can’t get the MMR vaccine for these or other reasons are vulnerable during measles outbreaks. This includes infants, since children usually aren’t eligible for their first MMR dose until they’re 12 months old.

Breakthrough infections are rare, but they can happen — and an older person who experiences one may also experience worse outcomes. “Older folks, if they get the disease, are more at risk of complications,” Brull said.

Anyone in this vulnerable group may want to take extra precautions, experts said, such as avoiding high-risk settings such as crowds, wearing a mask in places with poor ventilation, distancing yourself from people who are sick and frequently disinfecting objects at home (the virus can live on surfaces for up to two hours, according to the WHO, and also lingers in the air).

Even though children are usually not eligible for the measles vaccine until their first birthday, there are times when it can be given a little sooner. If you live in an area experiencing an active measles outbreak, your pediatrician may suggest your infant receive an early, extra MMR dose sometime between 6 and 12 months. This early shot “does not count towards the two doses, so those infants that get it at that point will still need to get two doses later,” said Hamer.

This approach is safe for children. “You’re not giving too much vaccine,” Michelow reassured. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that the MMR vaccine series is recommended starting at 12 months old because that’s when it appears to work best, not because it is dangerous if given earlier.

Another strategy to help protect those who can’t get the MMR vaccine is something some experts refer to as “cocooning”: By making sure everyone who regularly interacts with an at-risk person is vaccinated, you are surrounding them with a protective bubble to reduce their chances of catching the disease. With a newborn, that could mean confirming all caregivers are either up-to-date on their MMR series or naturally immune.

This can be absolutely critical, experts said. For example, if you live with infants or someone whose immune system can’t fight off infections, “you could be the only thing standing between them and a fatal case of measles,” Lee said. “It’s really important to get vaccinated, one to protect yourself, but equally to protect the people around you. You don’t want to be the person who brings measles home.”

The MMR vaccine is highly effective, so if you have received two doses, you can safely travel without worrying about measles. For others, the disease can be a risk when traveling. While frequent measles outbreaks in the U.S. are a relatively recent concern, the virus has continued to circulate in other parts of the world at an endemic level. “It’s very easy for someone to hop on an airplane and expose a lot of people,” Hamer said.

Measles spreads easily, so it is possible to catch it in crowded, enclosed spaces such as planes, trains, subways and airports, the CDC said in its most recent travel advisory, which is why the agency recommends everyone be fully vaccinated before traveling internationally.

If you are traveling with an infant, the baby will have some protection if the mother received the MMR vaccine before pregnancy, Michelow noted. Still, it is worth asking your pediatrician about one of those early, additional doses, experts said. Both the AAP and the CDC recommend infants between 6 and 11 months receive an MMR dose if they will be traveling internationally or visiting an area of the U.S. experiencing an outbreak.

Toddlers and preschoolers who have received just one dose and live in or will be traveling to an outbreak area may also get their second MMR shot a little ahead of schedule, according to the AAP.

Before you go, it may also help to assess your risk, experts said. Where you are traveling is a consideration to an extent. “If you know you’re going to an area with an outbreak of measles, that’s a very high risk,” Michelow said. But it is still possible to catch the virus in countries with low rates of spread, since “measles is really everywhere.”

Frustratingly, early measles symptoms such as a fever, cough and runny nose can resemble more innocuous respiratory infections. “People start to have vague symptoms, but it could be a lot of things,” Lee said. “And the first thing people think about is not measles.” The telltale rash may take up to 18 days after exposure to appear — and all the while, a person is contagious. “You can be shedding virus before you have a full rash,” Hamer said.

This means that actually learning you have been exposed to measles before developing your own symptoms can be tricky. But if you don’t have immunity and know you’ve been in contact with someone who was infected, such as because the health department notified you, call your doctor and ask about your options.

Again, vaccination is the best protection. Depending on when you were exposed, though, your provider may recommend a post-exposure MMR vaccine or medication called immunoglobulin. Both can reduce your chances of developing severe illness, and both can also be given to infants, Michelow said.

Measles depletes levels of vitamin A in the body, so babies who test positive may also be given two vitamin A doses to prevent serious complications. High levels of this vitamin can be dangerous, so children should be under the care of their doctor when it’s being administered.

Vitamin A isn’t a cure-all or substitute for vaccination: “There’s a myth that it can prevent measles,” Michelow said, “but there’s no evidence that taking vitamin A in advance of the disease or when you’re exposed changes the risk of getting the infection.”

If you know you have been exposed, the CDC recommends avoiding high-risk areas such as child care centers and hospitals. And, if symptoms do develop, call your doctor and ask about any accommodations you may need when seeking treatment. (“We don’t want people to show up in a doctor’s office with a waiting room of vulnerable people and cause them to also get measles,” Lee said.) You should also wait four days after your rash clears before resuming your routine to avoid spreading the virus.

The bottom line: Measles is sometimes thought of as a routine childhood illness, experts said. And while it can be mild, this disease can also cause very serious, possibly fatal complications. “We are in a period of history in which most people don’t remember what measles looked like when it was in the general population,” Brull noted. “There’s a reason why scientists developed this vaccine.”