Measles Vaccination Before International Travel

The reported measles cases continue to rise in the ongoing outbreak in the United States. Given the increase in cases, the CDC issued a health advisory focusing on the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The advisory urges all children to be current on MMR vaccination, especially those traveling internationally. The CDC recommends that all infants 6 months and older planning to travel internationally receive the MMR vaccine before traveling. If the MMR is administered before 12 months, the child should still receive two more doses of the MMR vaccine according to routine vaccine schedules.

Although the risk of getting measles is low and the risk of getting complications from measles is also low – it does not mean it cannot happen. Vaccination is an important aspect of risk reduction. One dose of the MMR vaccine offers 93% protection against measles, and two doses offer 97% protection. There are typically no concerns about getting the MMR vaccine at this age, so the benefits outweigh the potential risks in this situation. If you have specific concerns about vaccination and travel, it is important to have a discussion with your child’s clinician.

It’s key to understand that the goal here is calculated risk reduction to reduce the spread. Focus on a few layers to reduce the spread of measles: vaccinate, stay home if acutely unwell (even if not known measles), hand-washing, and mask/cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.

People often ask me for my personal opinion: “What would you do with Vera since she is in this age group?” We have considered this, given the risks. Currently, we are not traveling domestically or internationally, so we are choosing not to get the MMR vaccine early for Vera. Without the added risk of international travel, we decided not to vaccinate her early. If we were traveling frequently, then we would likely consider the MMR vaccine for Vera before 12 months. We plan to get her vaccinated at 12 months, per routine recommendations.

Each family will evaluate the risks differently since everyone has unique circumstances and preferences. This is a meaningful conversation to have with your child’s clinician. They can offer insight into the cases, trends, and current recommendations.

What is the most recent case count?

According to the CDC, a total of 64 measles cases were reported by 17 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington as of March 21^st, 2024. Outbreaks are also occurring in Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom. Many of these reported cases were linked to international travel in children over 12 months without the MMR vaccine.

Looking for more guidance?

Check out this PedsDocTalk Instagram post for more information and guidance to help you navigate the measles outbreak without panic. It includes clinical signs of measles and complications, what to do if there is an outbreak in your community, and more about reducing the risk of measles.

On The Podcast

Do you ever feel you’re overdoing or overthinking parenting? Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, co-founder of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, host of the podcast Raising Good Humans, and author of the newly released New York Times bestseller The 5 Principles of Parenting, joins me to reflect on parenting and discuss her new book.

We discuss:

• How parents overdo it and how to keep it simple

• The five principles of parenting that can be applied to many different situations

• Why parents shouldn’t always focus on “getting it right”

On YouTube

In this video, I break down when to visit a child’s primary care clinic, urgent care, or the ER, with examples of common situations. The video includes:

• Access to doctor office vs. ER

• About urgent care, about emergency room

• Reasons to go to ER

• Reasons to go to urgent care

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