The CDC has published a report the recommends anyone over 45 years old should be re-vaccination for measles.
Doctors warn that older older measles vaccines weren't as effective as modern ones. They recommend that anyone born between 1957 and the early 1970's get re-vaccinated if traveling overseas, or to a part of the U.S. that has seen a recent measles outbreak. Since the start of 2019, outbreaks have been reported to the CDC in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
These outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries such as Israel and Ukraine, where large measles outbreaks are occurring. Make sure you are vaccinated against measles before traveling internationally.
According to the CDC, the symptoms of measles generally appear about seven to 14 days after a person is infected. Measles typically begins with
- high fever,
- cough,
- runny nose (coryza), and
- red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
Two or three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots (Koplik spots) may appear inside the mouth. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots. The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body. When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.
Measles complications can include diarrhea, ear infections, and pneumonia.
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