Measles Outbreak

There is an ongoing measles outbreak in the United States. The City of Philadelphia Health Department confirmed nine total cases of measles. Additionally, the Virginia Department of Health notified the public of measles exposure at the Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Many sources claim the outbreak likely began at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where a child was admitted with an infection that was later identified as measles. During this admission, several other people contracted measles. Then, against quarantine protocol, the child was sent to daycare, where more children were infected with measles.

What do we know about measles?

Measles is extremely contagious – it’s one of the most contagious diseases. It spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. The virus remains active in the air or on surfaces for two hours. A person is contagious four days before and after the rash.

Measles symptoms typically start 10-14 days after exposure. Early symptoms include a running nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks. Then, a characteristic rash starts on the face and spreads to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.

If you notice any of these symptoms, stay home and contact your healthcare provider. Do not go to the clinic or emergency room without calling ahead to notify them of your concern for measles. This is to protect other patients and staff against this highly contagious virus.

There are serious complications from measles, including blindness, encephalitis, diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia.

Treatment focuses on symptomatic relief and treating associated complications.

What can you do to protect yourself and your children?

The best protection against measles is with vaccination. The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is routinely administered at 12-15 months and again at 4-6 years of age. This is a safe vaccine with around 60 years of use, as it was created in 1963. Two doses of the MMR vaccine offers 97% protection against measles.

Measles is considered rare in the United States; however, it remains common in other parts of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Contact your child's clinician if you are traveling internationally, especially with a child younger than 6 months. The CDC recommends infants 6 through 11 months receive an early dose of the MMR prior to international travel.

It's worth mentioning that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the measles vaccine rates decreased, as many routine vaccines were postponed or missed. The measles vaccine rates have steadily decreased since the beginning of the pandemic.

If you are uncertain about you or your child’s immunity to measles, you can contact your healthcare provider to verify immunization records and administer the MMR vaccine if necessary.

Measles vaccination is key to protecting you and your loved ones. The herd immunity created with vaccination is necessary to eliminate measles. Herd immunity refers to when a large portion of the population is considered immune to a disease, which reduces the spread of the disease.

How to approach this measles outbreak with calm and not panic

As a mother to an infant and preschooler, it’s important to be aware of this outbreak, but it doesn't put me into panic mode – I don't want you to go into panic mode, either. As mentioned, the best protection against measles is vaccination. Of course, our infants and young toddlers are not fully vaccinated, but these two things are true: the risk of getting the measles virus is low, and the risk of complications from measles is low.

Herd immunity is important – particularly with young children since they are unable to get specific vaccines until certain ages. So, in a setting of an outbreak, it’s always beneficial to surround yourself with peers who share similar approaches to vaccinations. Of course, we have no control over what is happening in public places, such as the library or when traveling. Just remember, risk is low, and you will make decisions that make the most sense for your family.

A measles outbreak like this occurred in 2019. We understand that it will spread faster in unvaccinated individuals. This doesn’t mean it can’t spread in vaccinated communities. However, the goal is to continue to encourage vaccinations to avoid future outbreaks.

On YouTube

In this video, I discuss common causes of chronic cough in children and when it’s crucial to seek evaluation. Don’t miss this important info! The video includes:

• What is chronic cough?

• Back-to-back illness

• Asthma

• Allergies

• Habit cough

• GERD

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