Health

CDC urges Americans to get vaccinated for measles before traveling abroad

By Mallika Marshall, MD

June 22, 2023 / 5:39 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - If you're planning a trip overseas, double-check your vaccine status for measles.

Measles, which is highly contagious, can cause severe health complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation, and sometimes death. There have been outbreaks in regions all over the world, including London, so the CDC is urging all Americans to make sure they're fully protected against measles before traveling internationally.

If someone has not been previously vaccinated or does not have proof of immunity, they need two doses of the MMR vaccine at least two weeks before leaving the States.

There's been an increase in measles cases here in the U.S. this year, usually occurring when an unvaccinated traveler returns to the U.S. after visiting countries where the virus is actively circulating.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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