Measles

THe MEASLES vaccine is the best prevention

​Measles: a contagious disease that causes high fever, cough, runny nose, and red watery eyes. A rash
of tiny red spots breaks out 3-5 days after symptoms begin. It also can lead to infection of the lungs
(pneumonia) and brain swelling (encephalitis), which may lead to brain damage or death. There is no
treatment for measles, but there is a way to prevent it: the combination measles, mumps, and rubella
(MMR) vaccine. It protects you and helps stop the spread of the measles virus to others.
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People at Higher Risk:
  • ​Infants and children less than 5 years of age
  • Adults greater than 20 years of age
  • Pregnant women
  • People with compromised immune systems, such as from leukemia or HIV infection
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How Does the Vaccine Help?
  • MMR vaccine provides significant and long-lasting protection against all strains of measles, and greatly reduces the risk of complications.
  • Since the widespread use of MMR vaccine in theU.S., there has been a greater than 99% decrease in the number of people with measles.
  • MMR vaccine doesn’t just protect against measles—it also protects against rubella and mumps.

Two doses of MMR vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles.
The vaccine is effective at preventing measles, but it’s not perfect. There is still a small chance of getting
measles if you’re vaccinated. Nearly 10 out of 10 people get lasting protection from the vaccine.
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