Measles (Rubeola) – Quick Facts
- Measles is a highly contagious infection.
- Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Cases of measles in the United States since have been imported from overseas travel by unvaccinated or unimmunized people who are Americans or foreign visitors.
- In 1912, measles became a notifiable disease; in the first decade of reporting by health care providers, there were an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths each year.
- Prior to 1963 when vaccine became available, three to four million people in the United States were infected, between 400 and 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 suffered encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
- One confirmed case of measles is considered an outbreak.
- In 2018 there were 372 cases of measles reported in the United States. In 2010, there were 63.
- The majority of people who get measles in the United States are unimmunized.
- Measles outbreaks are occurring in pockets of unvaccinated or unimmunized communities.
- Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective against measles, one dose of MMR vaccine is 93 percent effective against measles.
- Measles is common in parts of the world including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.
Updated on: June 25, 2019 4:45 pm