Measles
At a Glance
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is working closely with local and state public health agencies and local health care systems to respond to any confirmed measles cases in the region. Please refer to this blog post for current recommendations and updates.
Current Recommendations
- Maintain a high suspicion for measles in individuals who are not immune and present with measles symptoms.
- Create triage policies to quickly identify and isolate patients who could have measles, including questions about recent measles exposures, including international travel, and symptoms. If possible, consider preliminary triage at the door.
- Follow infection prevention and control recommendations.
- Immediately place individuals who may have measles in airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR), since measles spreads between rooms through shared airspace. If an AIIR isn’t available, the patient should be placed in a single room with the door closed and must mask until they can be placed in an AIIR. If AIIR was not used, the room should remain vacant for 2 hours after the patient leaves the room.
- All staff should don a N95 respirator.
- Outpatient providers should notify hospital emergency rooms (ER) prior to referring patients to present to the ER so that patients can be quickly isolated. Outpatient providers should not send patients to the ER until they are able to convey safe entry directions from the ER. Patients 2 years of age and older should be told to mask when presenting to the ER.
Health Alerts
| Topic |
Priority
Priority
|
Date of Alert |
|---|---|---|
| No Health Alerts Found | ||
| Guidance for Local Identification of New Measles Cases | Alert | May 1, 2026 |
| Increase in Domestic Measles Cases | Advisory | Feb 6, 2026 |
| Continued Measles Vigilance | Advisory | Oct 27, 2025 |
| Increase in Domestic Measles Cases | Advisory | Mar 6, 2025 |
| Update Regarding Measles in Philadelphia | Advisory | May 22, 2024 |
Surveillance
Vaccine Information
- Administer routine and catch-up vaccination with MMR vaccine.
- Adults born before 1957 are considered measles immune unless they are part of specific groups.
- Adults who were vaccinated from 1963-1968 may have received killed (inactivated) vaccine. People vaccinated during that time who received killed vaccine or who are not sure what vaccine they received should be revaccinated.
- Adults born from 1957-1989 likely received 1 dose of MMR. There is no need to revaccinate unless they are part of specific groups (e.g., international travelers, healthcare workers, etc.).
- An early first dose of MMR is also recommended for infants 6-11 months of age before international travel. It is not recommended before domestic travel at this time. This dose will not count as part of the child’s routine vaccination, and the child will need to get a dose after 12 months to start the routine series.
- An early second dose of MMR should be given to children 12 months through 4 years before they travel internationally and at least 28 days after the previous dose. This dose counts towards the child’s routine series.
Diagnosis & Management
Resources
For Healthcare Providers:
Reporting to PDPH
Measles is an immediately notifiable condition. Upon suspicion of measles, report measles cases to PDPH by calling 215-685-6741 during business hours or calling 215-686-4514 after normal business hours.
Health Educational Materials
- Stay Safe from Measles: Get the Facts
- English | Spanish | Chinese | Polish | Portuguese | Russian | Ukrainian | Vietnamese | Swahili | French | Amharic | Khmer | Korean | Indonesian | Haitian Creole
- Public Health Preparedness Newsletters: Measles
- Flyer for Early Childhood Education Centers
- 4 Things Parents Need to Know About Measles
- English | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Vietnamese | Polish | Portuguese | Ukrainian | Dari | Arabic | Korean | Khmer | Indonesian | French | Swahili | Amharic | Haitian Creole
- Protect Your Family from Measles - International Travel:
Links and Resources
- Measles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Think Measles: Recognizing and Addressing Measles in Pediatric Practice (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Infographics: Consider Measles | Student Travel | International Travel
For Patients and Community Members:
Posters:
Stay Safe from Measles: Get the Facts (PDF)
Stay Safe from Measles: Information for Early Childhood Centers (PDF)
Top 4 Things Parents Need to Know about Measles (PDF)
