A measles outbreak spanning multiple states has already surpassed 600 cases, and experts say it might only be the beginning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been at least 607 confirmed measles cases in 2025 across 22 states, and so far, three people have died.
The World Health Organization says that herd immunity against measles can be reached when a community achieves a 95% vaccination rate. U.S. health officials estimate that 92.7% of kindergarten students were vaccinated last school year.
Dr. Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart, said infants can receive their first vaccine at 6 months, but she says a third shot might be needed if getting vaccinated before the child's first birthday.
"If you are considering international travel, or certainly are living in or near one of these multiple areas of outbreaks, you can consider having your child immunized as early as six months," she said.
She said if a parent decides to get a shot before a child's first birthday, they would need to return for a second shot when they are 12-15 months old.
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"If you determine that you are having your child immunized early, it will simply be one additional shot," she said. "So I don't want anyone to be confused to think, well then, since MMR is a two-shot vaccine, if I get that first one at six months for my child, then I only need to get one additional one (at ages 4-6). No, you still will need to get the regular two at 12 to 15 months and 4-6 years."
According to the CDC, measles causes the following symptoms:
- Pneumonia
- Brain Damage
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Diarrhea
- Premature birth or low-birthweight baby (in unvaccinated pregnant women who contract measles during pregnancy)
- Measles infection leads to loss of immunity to other deadly diseases
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She said the time it takes for measles symptoms to develop can make it a challenge to stop the spread of the disease.
"And again, not only is it four days after, it's four days before the rash appears. And that's where it's difficult to guess when that rash will appear because it can't appear up until 21 days. We want everyone to isolate and make certain that you take it very seriously," Morgan said. "There can be long term consequences of measles. Even after you recover 10 years later, there can be severe consequences, including impacts on the brain."
