Measles is at an all-time high: Here’s how to protect your child

Measles is on the rise in the United States – in fact, more cases were reported in 2026 than in any year since the disease was first reported in the US in 2000. It can be dangerous, especially if your child is not old enough to be vaccinated or cannot be vaccinated for other reasons. Read on to find out what parents need to know.

What is a wheelchair?

Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. Any child who has not received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine or the MMRV vaccine (a combination of MMR and varicella) can get the disease.

The vaccine is very effective and remains the best protection against measles: It is about 93% effective in preventing measles after one dose and 97% effective in preventing measles after the second dose.

Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, about 3 to 4 million people in the United States contracted the disease each year. Of those, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 400 to 500 died. After the vaccination program started, the number of measles cases was reduced by 99%.

In 2000, measles was considered to have been eliminated from the United States, meaning that measles did not spread in the country and new cases were only reported when someone picked up measles from abroad and returned to the US.

But unfortunately, with more parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, cases in the US have risen. In all of 2025, there were 2,289 confirmed cases of measles – and almost as many cases were reported in just six months of 2026. That’s the most cases of measles in a single year since 1991.

The disease often occurs in close-knit communities, and is common among unvaccinated people. Some cases are imported from other countries, especially US residents who have not been vaccinated while visiting other countries.

Measles is on the rise worldwide. According to the CDC, 10.3 million people worldwide were infected with measles in 2023. This is an increase of 20% from 2022. In 2023, approximately 107,500 people worldwide – mostly children under the age of five – died from measles.

What causes measles?

Measles is caused by a type of virus called paramyxovirus, and it is highly contagious. When an infected person sneezes or coughs, small droplets of the virus are blown into the air. These droplets remain active for two hours in air or on land. A child who breathes in this saliva or comes in contact with it can become infected.

If your child is unvaccinated – and has never had the disease before – they have a 90% chance of becoming infected if they are infected. A person with measles is contagious for four days before and four days after developing the rash.

What are the symptoms of measles?

When a child is infected, the first symptoms of measles appear within a week to 12 days and usually include cold symptoms:

• Malung
• A very fast nose
• cough
• Red, racing eyes
• Low power
• Not wanting to eat

After a few days, the child may have characteristic spots in the mouth, especially on the mucous membranes that line their cheeks. These spots, called Koplik’s spots, appear as white specks – like grains of salt or sand – on red spots.

A few days later, a measles rash appears on the child’s face and hair. It then spreads down to the neck, back, and trunk, then to the arms and hands, and finally to the legs and feet.

The rash starts as red patches but eventually turns into blisters. As the rash appears, the fever rises, sometimes reaching as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The rash can be itchy.

A child with measles may also have croup, nausea, vomiting, or swollen lymph nodes. The cough can be severe, and the child will feel sad.

The rash usually lasts for five days, and when it does, it turns brown. They disappear in the same way they appeared on the child’s body, leaving dry and gray skin.

Most children have symptoms for one to three weeks.

What are the complications of measles?

Otherwise healthy children usually recover from measles, but about 30% of people with measles develop one or more complications. Problems are more common in children under the age of 5, pregnant women, adults 20 years of age or older, and those with weakened immune systems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionIt will open a new window (CDC), for every 1,000 children who get measles, about three die from it. Difficulties include:

• Ear infectionswhich can cause discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Pneumoniawhich is the leading cause of death in young children is measles, which affects about one in 20 children who develop measles.
• Encephalitiswhich is an inflammation of the brain that can cause hearing loss or intellectual disability, affecting about 1 in 1,000 children with measles.

In addition, in pregnant women, measles can cause miscarriage, premature birth, or an unborn baby.

What should I do if my child has measles?

If your child has only been exposed to the measles virus and has been adequately vaccinated (received two doses of the MMR vaccine), it is unlikely that they will develop measles. However, consult a doctor if your child has symptoms.

Talk to your doctor if your child has been exposed to the virus but has only had one of two MMR shots. If your child received the first shot after their first birth and a month or so ago, they can get a second shot at the same time, to be protected. (Some areas will still require another dose after your child turns 4, if the second dose was given before then.)

If your child has been exposed but not vaccinated, call the doctor. If it has been six days or less since the onset of the illness, the doctor may give an injection of immune globulin to prevent measles or to make the symptoms less severe if they do appear.

If your child is six months old and within 72 hours of exposure, their doctor may also give one dose of the MMR vaccine. (Your child will still need two more doses of the vaccine on schedule, one at 12 to 15 months and another at 4 to 6 years.)

How can I take care of a child with measles?

If you think your child has measles, contact your doctor right away. Don’t go to the office or emergency room without calling, because you don’t want to expose others to the virus.

There isn’t much you can do to treat measles other than making your child comfortable. These tips can help your child stay well (and remember to keep your child away from others to avoid spreading the disease):

• Make sure they are getting enough rest and hydration.
• Use a decongestant vaporizer to relieve a cough.
• For fever and pain, give your child an appropriate dose of ibuprofen (if they are 6 months or older) or acetaminophen (if they are 3 months or older). If your baby is younger than three months, ask your doctor before giving him any medicine, even pain relievers.

Note: When your child’s health care provider confirms that your child has measles, the provider must report it to the state health department, which reports to the CDC, to monitor and prevent the spread of the disease.

How can babies get the MMR vaccine?

The first dose of MMR vaccine is given to children between 12 and 15 years of age. Wondering why your child might not get vaccinated early? It’s not because they’re not safe, but because vaccines may no longer work, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.It will open a new window (AAP).

Before your baby’s first birthday, the antibodies he received from you at birth can interfere with his ability to respond strongly to vaccines. The good news: If you’ve been vaccinated, your baby will have some immunity to measles from the antibodies it received from you in the womb.

The second dose of the vaccine is usually given when your child is between 4 and 6 years old.

Staying on top of your child’s immunization schedule can feel like a lot. Download the free BabyCenter appIt will open a new window for age-related updates and expert-reviewed advice – all in one place.

There are several situations in which your child can get vaccinated early, before their first birthday. If you are planning to travel overseas with your child and they are 6 to 11 months old, the doctor will give one dose of the MMR vaccine before departure. If your child is 12 months of age or older, they will receive two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart.

The doctor may also give your child a dose of the vaccine if there is an outbreak nearby and your child is between 6 and 11 months old. If there is an outbreak in your area, your local and state health departments will give you recommendations, and your child’s doctor can tell you what to do.

If your child misses any vaccinations, ask the doctor about an updated schedule.

How can I protect my unvaccinated child from measles?

The best way to protect your child is to vaccinate them when they are older. Until then, AAP advocatesIt will open a new window Here are some tips for parents with children who are too young to get vaccinated:

• Avoid spreading germs by washing your hands frequently (for at least 20 seconds with soap and water) and using hand sanitizer. Make sure everyone around your child does the same.
• Limit your child’s contact with people, other children, and anyone who has a cold.
• Mix and match the ingredients in your home regularly.
• Breastfeed your baby if you can so he can get special, disease-fighting antibodies from your breast milk.