Measles Protection Questions and Answers

With the current rise in cases of measles, a lot of people have questions about measles protection to make sure they are doing everything to keep themselves and their kids from getting sick.

Measles Protection Questions and Answers

And we have the answers for you.

How long does maternal protection last for your newborn baby? As long as their mother is immune, an infant should have good protection for at least three months. After that period, their protection begins to wane or wear off. That’s why it is recommended that infants in high risk areas get an early dose of MMR, once they are six months old. Before six months, infants can receive measles immunoglobulin if they are exposed to someone with measles for added protection.
Should I get my child an early MMR even though we aren’t in a high risk area? In addition to infants, toddlers and preschoolers can get their second dose of MMR early, at least one month after their first dose at 12 months, if they live in or are traveling to an area with a high risk for measles exposure. Since protection with the mumps component of the MMR vaccine can wane, you might want to get the second dose on time unless it is officially recommended that you get it early. What about the study that suggested an early MMR before 12 months might lead to later doses being less effective? It was just one small study and only measured antibody levels.
Why do some people get an MMR vaccine after they are exposed to someone with measles? Since the incubation period for measles is fairly long, an MMR vaccine soon after you are exposed to someone with measles can help to reduce your chances of getting sick! If you are too late for this type of post-exposure prophylaxis, a shot of measles immunoglobulin (IG) is available for up to six days after exposure.
As an adult, do I need a booster dose of MMR? Do I need to check my titers? Two doses of the MMR vaccine are estimated to be 99% protective against measles and provide life-long protection without waning. If you can confirm that you have had two doses of MMR, then you do not need another dose. If you are not sure if you have had two doses, then get one or more doses to get caught up! There is usually no need to get titers. If you have had two doses of MMR and your measles titer is low or absent, there is no recommendation to get another MMR. In fact, you are probably immune anyway, as an anamnestic response also guides measles protection.
Has measles mutated so that the MMR vaccine is no longer effective? There is no evidence that the measles virus has mutated in any way that makes the vaccine less effective in preventing illness or outbreaks.
Does the MMR vaccine protect against all strains of measles? Unlike flu and COVID and some other viruses, the measles virus is monotypic. That means that it’s surface proteins are the same, even among the different strains of measles. And since it is those surface proteins that help induce immunity, then if you are immune to one strain, you will be immune to them all. Or more simply, yes, the MMR vaccine does protect against all wild strains of measles.
Why do some people test positive for the vaccine strain during an outbreak? You know how it is common for folks to develop a rash and/or fever when they get their MMR vaccine? And you know how many people get an MMR vaccine during an outbreak? Well, since a rash and fever can be signs of measles, these people who are having a simple immune reaction to the vaccine are tested and will be found to have the vaccine strain. But it is very important to understand that this is not vaccine-induced measles, as again, this is an immune reaction to the vaccine. They are not contagious and are not added to the outbreak case counts, as they don’t have measles.
Do I really need to be concerned if the pre-vaccine era death rate was 2 per million? Understand that anti-vaccine influencers commonly use statistics to confuse people. In this case, instead of using the case fatality rate, the number of people who have measles who die (about 1 to 3 in 1,000), they try to hide the number of deaths in the total population. But even if you consider a death rate of 2 per million, with a population of 340 million, that means 680 measles deaths each year! Does that concern you? Does it concern you that it won’t just be measles deaths we will be seeing, as deaths from pertussis, diphtheria, Hib, and other vaccine preventable diseases will also be on the rise?
Is shedding causing measles outbreaks? Shedding does not trigger measles outbreaks! Just think about it, if shedding was linked to outbreaks, why are we seeing more and more cases as immunization rates have dropped? Why are the cases and outbreaks always caused by wild strains of measles? The Texas outbreak has been linked to the D8 strain, while the vaccine is the A strain…
Why do some people who are vaccinated get measles? Unfortunately, the MMR vaccine does not provide 100% protection against measles. So those with partial protection, especially after just one dose, have a small chance of developing measles after an exposure. On the bright side, these types of breakthrough cases are typically milder than cases in those who are unvaccinated.

And no, measles was never considered to be a mild disease.

If measles was considered mild in the old days, why were they giving contacts gamma globulin shots to prevent them from getting sick?

It was once considered a rite of passage for children because they had no choice but to get measles!

And tragically, like other life-changing rites of passage, in the pre-vaccine era, many kids did not survive having measles.

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Last Updated on May 15, 2025

Measles Protection Questions and Answers