CDC Issues Health Advisory on Measles Ahead of Summer Travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health advisory about measles as the busy summer travel season heats up. 

The organization is advising parents to ensure that they and their children are fully protected from measles before they travel, says a report from NBC News. According to the CDC, full protection means two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine at least two weeks before traveling to destinations with active measles outbreaks. 

Measles is highly contagious but the vaccination provides up to 97 percent protection. The CDC warns on its website that people "can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left." 

The U.S. has seen an uptick in measles cases. "The United States has seen an increase in measles cases during the first 5 months of 2023, with 16 reported cases compared with 3 in 2022 during the same period," reads the CDC's health alert. 

A large majority of the cases in the U.S. have originated from international travel. 

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