General Information
What is measles?
Measles is a virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages like the nose, mouth, and throat, and spreads throughout the body.
What are the symptoms of measles?
Measles usually starts with a high fever, runny nose, and red and irritated eyes. After 3-5 days a red and bumpy rash starts on the face and moves down the body.
Although rare, measles can lead to very serious complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.
How does measles spread?
Measles is highly contagious. Someone who is infected can spread the disease to other people before noticing any symptoms, especially in the four days before and after a rash develops. The virus spreads easily by sharing the same air with an infected person, especially if that person coughs or sneezes.
Is there a treatment for a measles infection?
There is no treatment for measles, but you can take actions to feel better and prevent complications.
Vitamin A can help a child who is very sick, but it does NOT prevent measles.
Potential long term side effects of measles infection
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a very rare but deadly disease that affects the brain and nervous system. It happens when someone gets a measles infection earlier in life, and the virus stays in the body and causes problems later on.
Preventing a measles outbreak in our community
Herd immunity protects a community from outbreaks by preventing the virus from spreading person to person. For measles a vaccination coverage of 95% is required to prevent the virus from spreading.
Whitman County's vaccination rate is only 72.2%, leaving the community vulnerable to outbreaks.
Preventing measles in your family
The Highest Protection
The most effective way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles and protection is long-lasting.
The MMR vaccine is much safer than getting a measles infection.
Immunization
MMR
Two doses of the MMR Vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles, and protection is long-lasting.
Children need 2 doses of MMR vaccines:
12–15 months old
1st dose
4–6 years old
2nd dose
It is especially important that high-risk adults, such as healthcare professionals, college students, people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, or those preparing for international travel, confirm they’ve previously received two doses to be fully protected.
Anyone traveling internationally should be fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks before traveling.
- Infants 6–11 months old should get 1 dose of the MMR vaccine before travel. Then they should get 2 more doses after their first birthday.
You can check MMR immunization status by:
Visit Your Local Pharmacy, Clinic, or School
Most healthcare providers, schools & pharmacies in Washington use the Washington State Immunization Information System. Please check with them to ask if they can give you a complete immunization record for you or your child. They can print it from the Immunization Information System or from their own medical record system.
Signing up for MyIR Mobile
Sign up for MyIR Mobile by going to myirmobile.com and follow the registration instructions. Your registration information will be used to match your records with the state immunization registry. You will be sent a verification code on your phone to finalize the process. Once registration is complete, you'll be able to view your immunization records and Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS).
Request a Complete Immunization Record from Whitman County Public Health
If have vaccine records in Washington State, you can submit a request online Immunization Records Release Request. We can access your records and send them to you by email, fax, or mailing address. Once a request has been submitted, we will reach out to you with more information.
Finding the MMR Vaccine:
If you believe you need the MMR vaccine, please call your healthcare provider or local pharmacy.
If your healthcare provider or local pharmacy does not have the MMR vaccine or is unable to complete your request for vaccination in a timely manner, please contact Whitman County Public Health's Disease Prevention Team. We can:
- Help you find where to get an MMR vaccine quickly in our community.
- For all children and uninsured adults, WCPH’s Whitman County Community Clinics - located in Pullman and Colfax - offer low-cost to no-cost vaccinations for MMR. We will walk you through how to get an appointment scheduled with us over the phone or email. Or, you can determine eligibility and schedule online here.
I Have Been Exposed to Measles — Now What?
There is no treatment for measles
You can take actions to manage symptoms and prevent complications.
Vitamin A can help a child who is very sick, but it does NOT prevent measles.
If you have symptoms of measles, call your healthcare provider’s office. They will give you special instructions to avoid getting healthcare providers and others sick if you need to seek medical care.
If you don’t have immunity to measles and are exposed, talk to your doctor about getting the MMR vaccine. It is not harmful to receive the MMR vaccine after being exposed. If you get the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of initial exposure to measles, you may gain some protection or have a milder illness.