Fredericksburg Parent

20 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • April 2025 A Message from the Rappahannock Area Health District Measles is Serious, But Preventable A measles outbreak that has sickened more than 250 people (as of press time) in western regions of Texas has brought this highly contagious disease back into the headlines. The news hit even closer to home in early March, when the Virginia Department of Health reported that an individual with a confirmed case of measles had travelled through Dulles International Airport on March 5. For parents who are worried about these reports, there is good news: "Measles is preventable through a safe and effective MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccine," said Allison Balmes-John, Population Health Manager for the Rappahannock Area Health District. Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, thanks to widespread use of the MMR vaccine. This vaccine is typically given to children in two doses: one at around 12 months of age, and a second dose before a child enters kindergarten, or around age 4 to 6. Balmes-John said parents should consult their children's primary care provider to stay on top of vaccine schedules. Virginia law requires two doses of the MMR vaccine before entry to public kindergarten. Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years old. This came with grave conse- quences. Among the estimated 3 to 4 million annual measles cases reported before 1963, an estimated 400 to 500 people died, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 suffered encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WRITTEN BY EMILY FREEHLING CRITICAL PROTECTION The west Texas measles outbreak had led to 34 hospi- talizations and the death of one unvaccinated school- aged child as of mid-March. "This is one of the most contagious respiratory ill- nesses that we track," Balmes-John said. She said roughly 90% of people who are exposed to measles and have not been vaccinated will contract the virus, which can linger in the air for up to two hours—making it far more spreadable than Covid-19 and influenza. With travel for spring breaks and holidays ongoing, the risk to unvaccinated individuals only increases. That's why the protection vaccines provide is so important, Balmes-John said. Two doses of the vac- cine have been found to be 97% effective in prevent- ing measles upon exposure, she said. Even a young child who has only received one dose of the vaccine can expect 93% protection from the virus.

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