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Measles: Symptoms, Vaccines, Campaigns and Outbreaks Today

Last updated November 1, 2026

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, and it can cause severe illness, complications and death. Measles can affect anyone, but it is most common in children.

A safe and low-cost vaccine has been in use for about 60 years. Even so, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 95,000 people died from measles in 2024, mostly children under the age of 5.

What Causes Measles?

Measles is caused by a virus. The virus infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body.

Measles also weakens the immune system. According to WHO, it can make the body “forget” how to protect itself against other infections, which leaves children very vulnerable.

How Measles Spreads

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. It spreads through contact with infected nose or throat secretions from coughs or sneezes. People can also catch it by breathing air that a person with measles has breathed.

  • The virus stays active and contagious in the air or on surfaces for up to 2 hours.
  • One person with measles can infect up to 18 other people.
  • A person can spread measles from 4 days before the rash appears to 4 days after it appears.

Any person who is not immune can catch measles. This includes people who were never vaccinated and people who were vaccinated but did not develop immunity. Unvaccinated young children and pregnant people have the highest risk of severe complications.

Symptoms of Measles

Symptoms usually begin 7 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.

Early Symptoms

The early symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days. They include:

  • A fever.
  • A runny nose.
  • A cough.
  • Red and watery eyes.
  • Small white spots inside the cheeks.

The Rash

The rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms, usually on the face and upper neck. Over about 3 days it spreads down to the trunk, arms, legs and feet. It usually lasts 4 to 8 days before it fades.

Complications

Most measles deaths are caused by complications of the disease. Complications can include:

  • Blindness.
  • Encephalitis, an infection that causes the brain to swell and can damage the brain.
  • Severe diarrhoea and dehydration.
  • Ear infections.
  • Severe breathing problems, including pneumonia.

Complications are most common in children under 5 and in adults over 30. They are more likely in children who are malnourished, especially children without enough vitamin A, and in children whose immune system is weak from HIV or other diseases.

Measles during pregnancy can be dangerous for the mother. It can cause a miscarriage, or a baby born early with a low birth weight.

See a healthcare provider if you think you or your child has measles. Get care right away for any breathing difficulty.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for measles. Care focuses on relieving symptoms, keeping the person comfortable and preventing complications.

  • Drinking enough water, and treatment for dehydration, can replace fluids lost to diarrhoea or vomiting.
  • Doctors may use antibiotics to treat pneumonia and ear and eye infections.
  • WHO recommends 2 doses of vitamin A for all children under 5 with suspected measles, given at diagnosis and again the next day. Vitamin A can help prevent eye damage and blindness, and it may reduce the number of measles deaths.

Measles Vaccines

Vaccination is the best way to prevent measles and to stop it from spreading to other people. The measles vaccine is given alone or, often, combined with vaccines for mumps, rubella and/or varicella (chickenpox). In the United States, the usual vaccine is MMR (measles, mumps and rubella). Some countries, such as Kenya, use a measles-rubella vaccine.

Two Doses

WHO advises that every child gets 2 doses of measles vaccine:

  • In countries where measles is common, the first dose is usually given at 9 months of age. In other countries it is given at 12 to 15 months.
  • The second dose is usually given later in childhood, at 15 to 18 months.

In the United States, the CDC recommends the first dose of MMR at 12 to 15 months and the second dose at 4 to 6 years. Adults are recommended to have at least 1 documented dose of MMR, and some adults at higher risk need 2 doses if they do not have other evidence of immunity.

How Well the Vaccine Works

CDC figures show:

  • One dose of MMR is 93% effective against measles.
  • Two doses of MMR are 97% effective against measles.

The second dose matters because not all children develop immunity from the first dose. Vaccinated people who still get measles usually have a milder illness and are less likely to spread it.

Side Effects

Most people have no side effects from the vaccine. Side effects that do occur are usually mild. They include soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given, a fever, a mild rash and short-term joint pain or stiffness. More serious side effects are rare, such as a high fever that could cause a seizure.

There is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Some people should wait or not get the vaccine, such as people who are pregnant or who have a weakened immune system. Talk with a healthcare provider about your vaccination history and health.

Campaigns and Routine Doses: The Model Used in Africa

WHO says that routine measles vaccination, combined with mass vaccination campaigns in countries with high case rates, is crucial to reduce measles deaths. The vaccine costs less than US$1 per child, and it is also used in emergencies to stop outbreaks from spreading.

The model has 2 parts that work together:

  • Mass campaigns reach large numbers of children in a short time, including children who missed their routine shots.
  • Routine second doses help make sure each child is immune, because not all children develop immunity from the first dose.

Recent examples from the WHO African Region show both parts at work:

  • In April 2025, South Sudan ran a nationwide measles follow-up campaign for children aged 6 to 59 months. It reached 85% of the target population, but only 38% of counties reached the 95% coverage needed to stop measles from spreading.
  • In August 2025, WHO announced that South Sudan would be the 45th country in the African Region to add a second measles dose to its routine schedule, given at 9 and 18 months.
  • In July 2025, a 10-day campaign in Kenya vaccinated 5.18 million children against measles and rubella, an 81% coverage rate. The campaign also found and vaccinated 74,000 children who had never had any vaccine.

Worldwide, WHO estimates that accelerated vaccination work by countries and partners prevented about 59 million deaths between 2000 and 2024. Over the same period, estimated global measles deaths fell from 780,000 in 2000 to 95,000 in 2024.

Coverage and Outbreaks Today

The WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC) for 2025 show that progress has stalled:

  • 84% of children received a first dose of measles vaccine, and 77% received a second dose. Both figures are far below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks.
  • 57 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025.
  • About 29 million infants remained under-protected against measles in 2025.
  • 7.3 million infants received their first dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine but dropped out before their first measles dose.
  • By the end of 2025, 192 WHO Member States had a second measles dose in their national schedules.

Measles is still common in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Most measles deaths occur in countries with low incomes or weak health systems. WHO’s expert advisory group on immunization has concluded that measles elimination is under threat, because the disease has come back in many countries that had eliminated it or were close to doing so.

Because measles spreads so easily, it is often the first disease to show gaps in a vaccination program. The same gaps leave children at risk of diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. To learn more about global vaccination work, read about the World Health Organization.

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