An official government website.
Measles
Protect yourself, your family, and your community with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Measles is an infection caused by a virus and can almost always be prevented with a vaccine.
- About 1 out of 4 people who get measles will be hospitalized.
- 1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling due to infection (encephalitis), which may lead to brain damage.
- 1 or 2 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care.
Who is at risk?
Anyone who has not received the MMR vaccine or had measles in the past is at risk. Babies younger than 12 months are at risk because they are too young to have been vaccinated.
What is measles?
Some people think measles are just a little rash with a fever that goes away in a couple of days, but measles can cause serious health complications, especially for children younger than 5 years of age.
How does it spread?
Measles is very contagious and can spread quickly. Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can survive in the air for up to 2 hours and be spread before someone shows symptoms.
How can I prevent measles?
The best protection is the measles mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR provides long-lasting protection. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective.
Who should get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine?
Children - Children should receive two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose 12-15 months of age and the second dose at 4-6 years of age or at least 28 days following the first dose.
Teenagers and adults with no evidence of immunity - Evidence of immunity includes at least one of the following: written documentation of vaccination, laboratory evidence of immunity, laboratory confirmation of measles, or birth in the United States before 1957.
Where can I get the measles (MMR) vaccine for my child?
Call our Nursing Department at 513-887-5253 to make an appointment.
What are the symptoms?
- High fever (may spike to more than 104 degrees F)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red or watery eyes
- Rash (3-5 days after symptoms begin)
How is measles treated?
There is no cure for measles. Over-the-counter medications can help relieve the fever. Other symptoms usually disappear within 2-3 weeks.
What if I was exposed to someone with measles?
Call your healthcare provider right away so that they can tell you what to do next. Stay away from others if you have already developed symptoms.
What if I have measles?
Stay home for four days after you develop the rash. Staying hos is an important way to not spread measles to other people. Ask your healthcare provider when it is safe to be around other people again.
Should pregnant people get the Measles (MMR) vaccine?
No. Adults of childbearing age should avoid getting pregnant for at least four weeks after receiving MMR vaccine.
Document Center
The Document Center provides easy access to public documents. Click on one of the categories below to see related documents or use the search function.
Categories always sorted by seq (sub-categories sorted within each category)
Documents sorted by SEQ in Ascending Order within category
Documents sorted by SEQ in Ascending Order within category
Resources7 documents
- CDC Measles Infographic English
- CDC Measles Infographic French
- CDC Measles Infographic Spanish
- Measles: Frequently Asked Questions English
- Measles: Frequently Asked Questions Spanish
- Measles: Frequently Asked Questions French
- What to Know About Measles English and Spanish