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Measles immunisation rates are «suboptimal» in many parts of the US and Europe.
ADVERTISEMENTMeasles is raising concerns among public health experts after an unvaccinated child died in a US outbreak that has infected more than 150 people.
Cases of the preventable virus are continuing to rise in the US state of Texas, but measles have also been reported this year in nine other states.
There were also 16,510 measles cases reported across 30 European countries in 2024, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Nine people died in Romania, and one died in Ireland.
Here’s what to know about the measles and how to protect yourself.
What is measles?
It’s a respiratory disease caused by one of the world’s most contagious viruses. The virus is airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes, or coughs. It most commonly affects kids.
“On average, one infected person may infect about 15 other people,” said Scott Weaver, a center of excellence director for the Global Virus Network, an international coalition.
“There’s only a few viruses that even come close to that”.
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet.
When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the CDC.
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications, and keep patients comfortable.
People who have had measles once can’t get it again, health officials say.
Can measles be fatal?
It usually doesn’t kill people, but it can.
Common complications include ear infections and diarrhoea, but some people wind up in the hospital. Meanwhile, pregnant women who haven’t gotten the vaccine may give birth prematurely or have a low-birthweight baby.
Among children with measles, about one in every 20 develops pneumonia, the CDC said, and about one in every 1,000 suffers swelling of the brain called encephalitis – which can lead to convulsions, deafness, or intellectual disability.
ADVERTISEMENTMeasles is deadly “in a little less than 1 per cent of cases, mainly in children,” said Weaver, who works at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the US.
“Children develop the most severe illness. The cause of death in these kinds of cases is usually pneumonia and complications from pneumonia”.
How can you prevent measles?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second for children between four and six years old.
“Before a vaccine was developed in the 1960s, everybody got” measles, Weaver said, describing the jab as a “complete game-changer”.
ADVERTISEMENTThere is “great data” on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, he said, because it’s been around for decades.
“Any of these outbreaks we’re seeing can easily be prevented by increasing the rate of vaccination in the community,” he said.
In the US, most states are below the 95 per cent vaccination threshold for kindergartners – the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks.
Immunisation rates are also “suboptimal” in many European countries, according to the ECDC. In 2024, 81.7 per cent of measles cases were among unvaccinated people, the agency said.
ADVERTISEMENTDo you need a booster if you got the MMR vaccine a while ago?
Healthcare professionals are sometimes tested for antibodies to measles and given boosters if necessary, Weaver said, even if they’ve already had the standard two doses as a child.
He said people at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may also want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak.
Those may include family members living with someone who has measles, or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
“But I don’t think everyone needs to go and run out to their doctor right now if they did receive two doses as a child,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT“If people would just get the standard vaccination, none of this would be happening”.
