Yes, there is a highly effective vaccine for measles. It’s given as the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella in a single shot. Two doses provide 97% protection against measles, making it one of the most effective vaccines available.
How the Vaccine Works
The measles vaccine is a live but weakened form of the virus. After injection, your immune system mounts a response and builds lasting protection without causing the actual disease. There are two formulations available for children aged 12 months through 12 years: the MMR vaccine (covering measles, mumps, and rubella) and the MMRV vaccine, which adds varicella (chickenpox) protection. For teens and adults, the standard MMR shot is used.
A single dose of MMR is 93% effective against measles. Adding a second dose bumps that to 97%. That second dose isn’t a booster in the traditional sense. It catches the small percentage of people whose immune systems didn’t fully respond the first time around.
Recommended Schedule for Children
Children get the first dose between 12 and 15 months of age, and the second dose between ages 4 and 6, typically before starting school. This two-dose schedule has been standard in the United States for decades and is the main reason measles went from causing an estimated 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths per year to near-elimination.
The timing matters. Before 12 months, most infants still carry some protective antibodies from their mother, which can interfere with the vaccine’s ability to generate a strong immune response. That’s why the first dose is scheduled after those maternal antibodies fade.
What Adults Need to Know
If you were born before 1957, you’re generally considered immune because measles was so widespread that virtually everyone was exposed during childhood. If you were born after 1957 and aren’t sure whether you were vaccinated, you have a few options: find your vaccination records, get a blood test to check for measles antibodies, or simply get vaccinated (or revaccinated). There’s no harm in receiving the vaccine even if you’re already immune.
Adults without evidence of immunity need two doses spaced 28 days apart. If a blood test comes back negative or uncertain for measles antibodies, vaccination is recommended regardless of age.
Travel Recommendations
Measles remains common in many parts of the world, and outbreaks can flare up quickly. If you’re planning international travel, you should be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before departure. If your trip is less than two weeks away and you’re not protected, getting a dose of MMR before you leave still offers some benefit.
For families traveling with young children, the schedule shifts. Infants aged 6 through 11 months can receive an early dose before travel, but that dose doesn’t count toward the routine schedule. They’ll still need a dose at 12 to 15 months and another at 4 to 6 years. Children over 12 months who haven’t been vaccinated should get their first dose immediately and a second dose 28 days later. The same accelerated schedule applies to teens and adults without proof of immunity.
Common Side Effects
Most side effects from the MMR vaccine are mild and short-lived: a sore arm at the injection site, a low fever, or a faint rash. Some people develop temporary swelling in the cheeks or neck. Teenage and adult women who weren’t previously immune to rubella sometimes experience brief joint pain or stiffness, starting one to three weeks after the shot and lasting about two days. Up to 1 in 4 women in this group notice some joint discomfort.
Serious reactions are rare. About 1 in 3,000 to 4,000 young children develop a febrile seizure (a seizure triggered by fever) roughly 6 to 14 days after vaccination. These seizures, while frightening for parents, are brief and don’t cause lasting harm. A temporary drop in platelet count occurs in roughly 1 in 40,000 vaccinated children, which can cause mild bruising or bleeding that typically resolves on its own. Severe allergic reactions are possible but extremely uncommon.
Who Should Not Get the Vaccine
Because the MMR vaccine contains a live virus, certain groups should avoid it. Pregnant women should not receive the vaccine. People with severe immune deficiency, whether from conditions like cancer, chemotherapy, or advanced HIV, are also not candidates. If you’ve had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or to any component of the vaccine, you should not receive another dose.
People who’ve recently received a blood product containing antibodies (such as a transfusion or certain immune globulin treatments) typically need to wait up to 11 months before getting vaccinated, since those antibodies can reduce the vaccine’s effectiveness. A history of low platelet count or a bleeding disorder called thrombocytopenic purpura is also a contraindication. If you’re moderately or severely ill, it’s generally best to wait until you’ve recovered before getting the shot.
Why Vaccination Still Matters
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in existence. An infected person can spread it to others simply by breathing in a shared space, and the virus lingers in the air for up to two hours after the infected person leaves. Before the vaccine became available, measles was essentially a universal childhood illness in the United States. Widespread vaccination drove cases down dramatically, but the virus hasn’t disappeared. As of April 2025, nearly 1,800 confirmed cases had already been reported in the U.S. for the year, a stark reminder that measles returns wherever vaccination rates drop.
The 97% effectiveness of two doses means that in a well-vaccinated community, measles has very few places to spread. But when pockets of unvaccinated individuals form, outbreaks follow. The vaccine protects not just the person who receives it but also infants too young to be vaccinated, pregnant women, and people with immune conditions who can’t safely receive the shot.