Americans traveling abroad should get measles vaccine, CDC says

Amid an alarming surge in measles cases in many countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a major update to its guidance on measles vaccination, recommending that all Americans receive the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine regardless of their destination.

This shift comes as the U.S. experiences its worst measles year since 2019, with over 1,000 cases reported nationwide and growing evidence of transmission occurring during travel itself.

The recent outbreak has prompted the U.S. health officials to issue fresh advice, saying that Americans should be vaccinated against the virus regardless of where they're going.

They have urged the U.S. to get measles-mumps-rubella shots.

But the CDC earlier emphasized the importance of vaccination for travelers going to countries with outbreaks.

Last week, the CDC updated its guidance to call for vaccinations for travelers going to all other countries.

The new advisory issued on May 28 reflects a critical understanding that exposure is no longer confined to specific regions but can occur in transit, such as on airplanes and in airports.

"We're seeing a shift from localized outbreaks to transmission in transit," noted Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, a researcher at George Washington University's nursing school.

The CDC has updated its recommendation following some recent incidents, including a Colorado outbreak linked to a single infected passenger on an international flight to Denver, which led to six confirmed cases, even affecting individuals who were merely at the airport.

Other recent exposures have been reported at public venues like the Mall of America and MetLife Stadium.

The CDC is now recommending two doses of the MMR vaccine for all Americans aged 12 months and older, spaced at least 28 days apart. For infants aged 6 to 11 months who will be traveling internationally, an early single dose is recommended.

Health officials stress that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles, a highly contagious airborne virus that can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death.

Measles: countries with an outbreak

• Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Morocco, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo and Zambia
• Asia: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
• Europe: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and United Kingdom.
• Middle East: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.