ALEXANDRIA, VA-Measles outbreaks in 2025 have led to nearly 500 confirmed cases in 20 states compared to 285 in all of 2024. While some public health experts are saying that the U.S. is on a path to have the worst measles outbreak of the 21st Century, there is still one tried and true method for protecting yourself from it.
“The best thing you can do is get vaccinated and if you’re unable to get a vaccine, then it’s important to talk to your physician to say, ‘Okay, I can’t get a vaccine because my immune system’s weak or something like that. What do I need to do to protect myself?’” said Katherine Moyer, DO, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Measles is a highly contagious virus, but a vaccine has been available since the 1960s and today it is usually combined with the mumps and rubella (MMR) or mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccines. Because the vaccine has been so widely disseminated – even to the point where the virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 – the overwhelming majority of Americans have never had it.
“In a milder course, kids would get a cough, fever, runny nose, and, and red eyes. Sometimes they can develop little white spots in their mouth and then they would break out in the rash,” Moyer said, “but the problem is you’re contagious when you have all of those more non-specific symptoms like a regular kind of cold.”
She shared that one in five kids will be hospitalized for the measles, usually because of dehydration or pneumonia. She noted that the most common cause of death in children with measles is when they also develop pneumonia because of it and that there can also be scary long-term effects for survivors.
“It can actually cause the immune system to have amnesia [and] make you more susceptible to other infections for two to three years after having the infection. Then even longer term, some kids would actually develop what’s called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE,” said Moyer, adding that the latter can lead to neurological deterioration seven to 10 years after the measles occurs.
As of March 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were a total of 483 confirmed measles cases in the U.S., with 14 patients being hospitalized and one confirmed death (The agency updates its information on measles cases and outbreaks every Friday). While there have been no confirmed cases in Alexandria or Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health notified residents of potential exposures that occurred on March 5 and 14.
Moyer stressed the importance of being aware of potential exposures in protecting oneself from the measles because “Time is of the essence if you get exposed.”
“If you’re not vaccinated and you get exposed and it’s within the first three days, you can get a vaccine if you’re eligible and that helps prevent it, but if you’re not able to get a vaccine, we can give antibodies [called] immunoglobulin,” she said. “So, it’s important to have that plan if you end up getting exposed inadvertently.”
For parents trying to determine when their children should be vaccinated, Moyer said there is a large amount information circulating that can be confusing. She would encourage them to visit the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org, which has evidence-based information to help guide them throughout their child’s journey, including vaccines, along with speaking with their clinician.
“I think it’s good to have the conversation with your primary care doctor to help allay some of the concerns,” Moyer said..
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