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Measles: the signs, what to do if you were near it, the vaccine, and when to get care
For anyone who thinks they or their child may have measles, or who was near someone who has it. CDC says measles is very contagious and can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children, and that U.S. cases have been increasing since early 2025. This page passes on, by name, what five CDC pages say: why to call before you go in, the signs day by day and how it spreads, what to do after being near it (and how many days you have), the emergency signs, and the MMR vaccine: who gets it, when, and how to pay for it. It builds the words to say to a doctor’s office, a school or shelter staff, and prints a card of the dates to keep.
Right now
- Think it is measles? Call before you go in. CDC says call a doctor or hospital right away, so they can see you without exposing other patients and staff.
- Stay home until the fifth day after the rash appears, and away from people at home who are not sick (CDC).
- Near someone with measles? Call your provider right away. CDC says the MMR vaccine within 72 hours, or a medicine called immune globulin within 6 days for people at high risk, may help.
- Trouble breathing, pain when breathing, dehydration, confusion, a fever or headache that will not stop, or getting worse fast? CDC says go to the emergency room now, and have someone call ahead to say a person with measles is coming. Any emergency: call 911 and say it may be measles (that line is ours).
More help
- Another rash or illness: A rash, an itch, or something going around at home: find the right page · Chickenpox · Fever in a baby or child.
- Pregnant: Pregnant, or with a new baby. No insurance: When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- A place to stay: A place to stay.
- All our free tools.
A rash or an itch, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for a rash, an itch or something going around at home, on one list.
Looking after a baby or child? The pages on this site for a baby or child, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 14, 2026 on five CDC measles pages on cdc.gov: About Measles (updated April 29, 2026), Measles Symptoms and Complications (updated August 5, 2026), How Measles Spreads (updated April 29, 2026), Measles: What to Do If You Get Sick or Exposed (published August 5, 2026) and Measles Vaccination (updated April 29, 2026). Ours: the 911 line (CDC’s emergency advice is the emergency room, with someone calling ahead), asking shelter staff for a place apart, and the order of the steps. What we left out: vaccine and medicine brand names, vitamins and home remedies, outbreak counts, and CDC’s pages for clinicians. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.