What Parents Need to Know About Protecting Their Children From Measles Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 30 April 2019 06:23 AM America/Los_Angeles What Parents Need to Know About Protecting Their Children From Measles With Confirmed Cases Now on the West Coast a Cedars-Sinai Epidemiologist Shares How Parents Can Protect Their Children Vaccination is the best way to protect your child from getting measles. Photo by Getty. The measles outbreak has officially hit the West Coast, with dozens of diagnosed cases in California and hundreds under mandatory quarantine throughout the state. Michael Ben-Aderet, MD, associate director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai, shares what parents need to know about measles, including risk factors and tips for preventing it. "Though it is rare to experience life-threatening complications, measles is a particularly contagious disease," Ben-Aderet said. "However, the risk of contracting it is extremely low and it's even more rare to experience life-threatening side effects. But the threat is real and it's important parents are informed on how to keep their children healthy and safe." To help parents map their best course of action, Ben-Aderet answered some common questions about measles: Can your vaccinated child still contract measles? Two doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine-which is the standard of care in the United States-provides more than a 99 percent lifelong immunity to the disease. Vaccination is the best shot at protection from this highly contagious disease, said Ben-Aderet. With two-doses of the MMR vaccination, healthy children have an extremely rare chance of contracting measles. What if my child is too young to be vaccinated? Ben-Aderet said children are usually vaccinated at 12 months. Children under six months are unable to receive their first of two MMR shots because it is a live vaccine. This means children less than a year old are usually unvaccinated and have a higher chance of contracting measles. Who else is considered high risk for contracting measles? In addition to children under 1 who cannot receive the MMR vaccination, the elderly, pregnant women, people with poor nutritional status and those with compromised immune systems-including cancer, HIV and transplant patients-are at higher risk of contracting measles. "These high-risk groups are also more likely to experience more serious complications from the disease," said Ben-Aderet. Unvaccinated college students and those who live in confined, close quarters are also at higher risk because the infection can spread quickly. How can you best protect your children and others at high risk? Ben-Aderet said the most important thing is that anyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated. "The majority of people contracting measles in the current outbreak are unvaccinated," he said. Beyond vaccination, Ben-Aderet suggests: Don't surround your child with people who could be sick, especially those with a fever or rash. Avoid crowded, enclosed areas. Wash hands regularly and thoroughly. Avoid international travel, as it's a well-known risk factor for measles because the disease is much more common outside of the United States. What if I suspect my child has measles? Contact your healthcare provider first, Ben-Aderet said, because most people with measles don't have to be hospitalized. However, if you suspect measles and need to be seen on an emergency basis, alert the emergency room in advance and wear a mask upon entering the hospital. Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Measles: What You Need to Know Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories Daya s Mystery What Was Causing a Young Girl s Internal Bleeding September 02, 2022 06:00 AM America/Los_Angeles The Dhillon family seemed to be living the California dream, enjoying the waterway just steps from their home on Naples Island. But a little more than five years ago, when their daughter, Daya, began … Read more Q&A Advice for a Healthy Stress-Free Return to School August 18, 2022 06:01 AM America/Los_Angeles For the past two-plus years, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted children’s education and frustrated parents. Today, with the back-to-school season in full swing, Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ART, … Read more Hyperactivation of the Immune System May Cause Post-COVID Syndromes July 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have proposed a theory for how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, infects the body. Their hypothesis, published in Frontiers in Immunology, could explain why … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Sally StewartAssociate Director, Media Relations; Editor-in-Chief of the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom sally.stewart@cshs.org Share this release What Parents Need to Know About Protecting Their Children From Measles Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home