Measles cases are rising in the U.S. During the first 4 months of 2024, 113 measles cases have been reported across 17 states. This is more than the total number of cases (58) recorded in all of 2023. Measles can be serious. In the U.S., about 1 in 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized. Measles vaccination is important in reducing both the spread of measles and the severity of symptoms.

Measles is a respiratory virus that is very contagious and most commonly spreads among children through the infected individual’s mucus (through coughing or sneezing) or through breathing the same air as the infected individual.

Measles symptoms include:

1. 2-3 days of watery eyes, runny nose, and coughing
2. Then: white spots, red rashes, and fever
3. Severe cases of measles can lead to pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain)

Two main causes for measles outbreaks include international travel and the gathering of people that haven’t received the vaccine.

In 2000, measles was no longer an issue in the U.S. due to decades of increasing vaccination rates. However, due to wrong information about the safety of vaccines and the rescheduling or missing of measle vaccines during the COVID pandemic, vaccination rates declined, resulting in increased cases of measles.

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 113 cases of measles in these 17 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe, helps reduce measles cases and reduces the severity of measles symptoms.

The CDC’s guidelines for when someone should receive the MMR vaccine and how many doses they should receive (1 or 2) are based on age, travel, immunity and other factors.

If vaccination rates for measles do not increase, it is unknown how many more measles cases there will be this year and the years to come.