Infectious diseases specialist: 10 things to know about measles

Declining community vaccination rates over the past decade have led to a re-emergence of measles as a major public health concern in the United States. More recently, measles has made national headlines as West Texas experiences one of the state’s worst measles outbreaks of the last 30 years.

Hearing this news can be nerve-wracking, especially for immunocompromised people and those who care for them.

That’s why I’m sharing 10 things to know about measles and how to protect yourself, your family and the community from its spread.

1. Measles is very contagious

The measles virus is highly contagious. It is one of the most contagious diseases in humans. Measles’ attack rate is 90%. This means that people who are susceptible to measles — such as those who are unvaccinated or have lost immunity to measles — have a 90% chance of getting the disease if they are exposed to it.

2. There is a vaccine that prevents measles

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease. The measles vaccine is usually given as part of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine: the first when they are 12 to 15 months old, and the second when they are 4 to 6 years old.

The CDC also recommends that teens and adults without presumptive evidence of immunity should stay up to date on MMR vaccination. Presumptive evidence of immunity means you have some evidence of being protected from measles. This can be due to:

• Your vaccination status
• Evidence of antibodies against measles
• Being born before 1957
• Laboratory confirmation of measles infection

Vaccination can help protect you and your community. If you are eligible to get a measles-containing vaccine, you should do so to help protect our most vulnerable community members.

Already vaccinated? Talk to your family and friends about vaccination and encourage them to check that they are up to date on vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles.

3. Symptoms can include rash, fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes

At first, measles symptoms may be easily confused with other common respiratory virus symptoms. You might experience:

• A cough
• A runny or congested nose
• Red, watery eyes
• A high-grade fever

Another tell-tale measles symptom? A rash. This rash usually appears after other symptoms, starting on the head or face and spreading down the body. People with measles are contagious several days before and after the rash develops.

4. Measles can have long-term complications

Measles can sometimes lead to serious complications, some of which can linger for months or even years after infection.

Possible measles complications include:

• Respiratory infections that can become pneumonia
• Neurologic damage caused by encephalitis, or brain inflammation
• Pneumonia that can lead to respiratory failure
• Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE.) This is a rare but deadly disease that attacks the brains of individuals up to ten years after they recover from a measles infection.

5. Certain groups are at a higher risk of measles complications

Some people have a higher risk for measles complications.

According to the CDC, these groups include:

• Infants
• Children under 5 years old
• Pregnant people
• Adults over 20 years old
• People who have weakened immune systems

6. There isn’t an approved treatment for measles

There is no approved treatment for measles other than supportive care, which means treating measles symptoms.

7. Think you have measles? Tell your doctor before heading to the clinic

Have you been exposed to someone with measles or developed measles symptoms yourself? Alert your health care provider before going to a clinic or hospital. This gives your care team enough time to ensure the safest possible care for you and measles-susceptible patients and staff.

8. Measles symptoms can look different for cancer patients

A cancer patient with measles might have little to no fever or respiratory symptoms, and, if they do have a rash, it might look atypical. This can make diagnosis a challenge. Often, knowing that a patient has been in an area with a known measles outbreak is critical to making the diagnosis.

9. Cancer patients can take precautions to protect themselves from measles

People undergoing cancer treatment can use the following tips to protect themselves from measles.

• Talk to your care team about vaccination and what your risks are given your level of immune suppression.
• Avoid travel to areas with known measles outbreaks or where measles is endemic.
• Talk to family members, caregivers and other close contacts about protecting you by ensuring they are up to date on their vaccinations against measles and other communicable diseases. Close contacts who have not received a measles vaccination, and have no contraindications to receiving it, should do so as soon as possible.

10. Vaccination helps protect vulnerable populations like cancer patients

Not everyone is eligible to receive a measles vaccine. For example, immunocompromised cancer patients shouldn’t get live-virus vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine. This means that many cancer patients, even if previously immunized, may no longer be able to fight off measles due to immune suppression from their cancer treatments and are not eligible for vaccination until their immune systems have recovered sufficiently. This leaves them in a highly vulnerable position, relying solely on vaccinated community members to protect them from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.

The bottom line is that getting vaccinated doesn't only protect you. Vaccination also protects people in your community who are unable to get vaccinated.

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-844-832-0269.