Measles Update

April 1, 2025 - Yesterday, the health department announced that a Pueblo resident tested positive for measles; this case is NOT related to the outbreak in Texas. The patient is an unvaccinated adult who traveled to Mexico. This single case does not qualify as an outbreak; however, as of Friday, the CDC is reporting 483 total cases in the US in 20 different states, and Texas has since reported an additional 22 cases. 97% of the cases are in unvaccinated patients. 

Measles is highly contagious - if unvaccinated, 9 of 10 people exposed will also get measles.  Fortunately, the current vaccine is very effective - a single dose of the MMR vaccine is ~ 93% protective, and having had 2 doses of the vaccine increases protection to 97%. Symptoms start with a high fever, cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis, followed by a rash that spreads from the head to the trunk to the legs. Children under 5, adults, pregnant women and those who are immunocompromised are more likely to get complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, diarrhea, ear infections, or rarely, inflammation of the brain. 

Now for the question of the day…DO I NEED A MEASLES BOOSTER? If you were born before 1957 or you have documentation that you had measles or have received at least one MMR vaccine, you are considered protected UNLESS you work in healthcare, are traveling internationally or are at risk of being exposed during an outbreak - if so, you need documentation of 2 MMR vaccines. See below for more details. Note-if we do rise to the level of an outbreak in Colorado, or you will be traveling outside of Colorado to a state with an outbreak, I feel you should also have proof of immunity or 2 MMR vaccines.  We can verify immunity with a simple blood test.  

Born before 1957 - it is presumed that you either had measles or were exposed and are therefore immune.  

Vaccinated before 1968 - the vaccine that was available from 1963-1967 was not very effective.  If you do not have proof of a second vaccine after 1967, you should get an MMR booster - we can do that in the office.  

Vaccinated from 1968-1989 - In 1989, the recommendation changed from a single MMR shot at age one to a first vaccine at age one and a booster before kindergarten. Therefore, if you were vaccinated before 1989 it’s possible that you only received one shot. If you meet the criteria listed above, you should look for your childhood vaccine records and if you don’t have them, either get a blood test to check your immunity or schedule with us for a booster.  

Vaccinated after 1989 - You likely received both doses of the MMR vaccine and do not need a booster.  

There is no harm in getting a MMR booster even if you are already immune.  However, as with most things, I recommend checking with your insurance as they may not cover the vaccine for adults. If you’d prefer to get the blood test to check your immunity (called a “titer”), you should check on coverage for that test as well. Women who have been pregnant can check with their OB office to see if they received a MMR booster in the hospital after they delivered; immunity to rubella is checked on all prenatal labs and any woman not immune gets a MMR shot before leaving the hospital.