Parents are encouraged to contact their pediatrician if their child has been exposed to measles or is showing symptoms.
Pediatric infectious disease experts are emphasizing the critical importance of measles vaccination, as the highly contagious virus is once again spreading across the United States. In an article published in Pediatrics, they provide updated guidance for pediatricians on how to recognize, prevent, and manage this vaccine-preventable disease.
Measles, caused by the measles virus, is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known, capable of spreading to 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to an infected person. It is transmitted through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area.
“The most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination,” said lead author Caitlin Naureckas Li, MD MHQS, infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “If parents are concerned that their child was exposed to measles or may have measles, they should call their child’s doctor. They should not attempt to treat measles on their own without a physician’s advice.”
Hospitalization and Complications from Measles
Measles carries the risk of serious complications that may require hospitalization. Dr. Li and colleagues point out that in 2024 in the U.S., 40 percent of people with confirmed measles were hospitalized, including 52 percent of children under 5 years and 25 percent of those 5-19 years.
The authors also highlight that in the U.S., the measles mortality rate is estimated to be one-three deaths per 1,000 infections. The risk of death is higher in those under 5 years of age.
Severe and Long-Term Health Risks
One of the more common complications of measles is pneumonia, with the lungs involved in over 50 percent of measles cases. Measles also can impact the brain. Encephalitis – an illness that can be fatal or lead to long-term brain damage in survivors – occurs in about one out of every 1,000 cases. SSPE, a near-universally deadly brain disorder that occurs years after measles infection, is another potential complication that strikes one in 100,000 cases, with higher risk in children under 1 year of age.
“MMR vaccination is safe,” emphasized Dr. Li. “This vaccine is the best way for families to protect their children from potentially life-threatening complications.”
Reference: “What’s Old Is New Again: Measles” by Caitlin Naureckas Li, Sheldon L. Kaplan, Kathryn M. Edwards, Gary S. Marshall, Sarah Parker and C. Mary Healy, 11 April 2025, Pediatrics.
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2025-071332
News
Study Shows Brain Signals Only Matter if They Arrive on Time
Signals are processed only if they reach the brain during brief receptive cycles. This timing mechanism explains how attention filters information and may inform therapies and brain-inspired technologies. It has long been recognized that [...]
Does Space-Time Really Exist?
Is time something that flows — or just an illusion? Exploring space-time as either a fixed “block universe” or a dynamic fabric reveals deeper mysteries about existence, change, and the very nature of reality. [...]
Unlocking hidden soil microbes for new antibiotics
Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab-and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil [...]
By working together, cells can extend their senses beyond their direct environment
The story of the princess and the pea evokes an image of a highly sensitive young royal woman so refined, she can sense a pea under a stack of mattresses. When it comes to [...]
Overworked Brain Cells May Hold the Key to Parkinson’s
Scientists at Gladstone Institutes uncovered a surprising reason why dopamine-producing neurons, crucial for smooth body movements, die in Parkinson’s disease. In mice, when these neurons were kept overactive for weeks, they began to falter, [...]
Old tires find new life: Rubber particles strengthen superhydrophobic coatings against corrosion
Development of highly robust superhydrophobic anti-corrosion coating using recycled tire rubber particles. Superhydrophobic materials offer a strategy for developing marine anti-corrosion materials due to their low solid-liquid contact area and low surface energy. However, [...]
This implant could soon allow you to read minds
Mind reading: Long a science fiction fantasy, today an increasingly concrete scientific goal. Researchers at Stanford University have succeeded in decoding internal language in real time thanks to a brain implant and artificial intelligence. [...]
A New Weapon Against Cancer: Cold Plasma Destroys Hidden Tumor Cells
Cold plasma penetrates deep into tumors and attacks cancer cells. Short-lived molecules were identified as key drivers. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), working with colleagues from Greifswald University Hospital and [...]
This Common Sleep Aid May Also Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer’s
Lemborexant and similar sleep medications show potential for treating tau-related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that a commonly used sleep medication can restore normal sleep patterns and [...]
Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Boost Cancer Drug Efficacy
A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Over a tenth of breast [...]
Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine Shows Promise in Fighting Cancer
In a study published in OncoImmunology, researchers from the German Cancer Research Center and Heidelberg University have created a therapeutic vaccine that mobilizes the immune system to target cancer cells. The researchers demonstrated that virus peptides combined [...]
Quantitative imaging method reveals how cells rapidly sort and transport lipids
Lipids are difficult to detect with light microscopy. Using a new chemical labeling strategy, a Dresden-based team led by André Nadler at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and [...]
Ancient DNA reveals cause of world’s first recorded pandemic
Scientists have confirmed that the Justinian Plague, the world’s first recorded pandemic, was caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium behind the Black Death. Dating back some 1,500 years and long described in historical texts but [...]
“AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity
Opaque AI systems risk undermining human rights and dignity. Global cooperation is needed to ensure protection. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses a global risk to human [...]
Nanomotors: Where Are They Now?
First introduced in 2004, nanomotors have steadily advanced from a scientific curiosity to a practical technology with wide-ranging applications. This article explores the key developments, recent innovations, and major uses of nanomotors today. A [...]
Study Finds 95% of Tested Beers Contain Toxic “Forever Chemicals”
Researchers found PFAS in 95% of tested beers, with the highest levels linked to contaminated local water sources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as forever chemicals, are gaining notoriety for their ability [...]
