- One case of measles was confirmed in VT.
- There is no specific treatment other than symptom management once infected.
- Measles is highly contagious, but the vaccine is safe and effective.
- First vaccination is recommended at 12 months with booster at 4 years (with exceptions for traveling).
- Gifford Pediatrics vaccine rate is high enough to confer herd immunity (97.3%!)
- Pediatricians are ready to answer your questions, come talk to us (but please call first if you think you have been exposed)!
Neighbors,
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the VT Department of Health put out a statement confirming a single case of measles in VT. With this announcement came a great deal of phone calls to our pediatric office from several concerned parents. This is a scary and uncertain time for many, but this is not the first time an outbreak has occurred that lit up our phone lines (you may recall the 2015 Disneyland scare). Gifford was prepared to handle measles cases then, and we are prepared now.
In Vermont we have been pretty lucky. I have been a practicing pediatrician since 2013, and I have never seen a case of measles outside of a textbook (knock on wood). Measles was once a common childhood disease characterized by high fever, rash, cough, and red eyes that most children were able to overcome. Many people may have relatives that can recall having had measles as a kid “and they turned out fine.” While that may be true, measles can have very real and very scary complications. From my perspective, the most concerning are pneumonia (a serious lung infection), hepatitis (a serious liver infection) and encephalitis (a serious brain infection). Ultimately, any of these complications can lead to death and we’ve seen this with the tragic death of a school aged, previously healthy child in Texas (A Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles, a first for the US in a decade | AP News)
Measles is incredibly contagious. The virus infects 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to it. Thankfully, our local community currently has high enough vaccination levels to confer herd immunity. Gifford Pediatrics pulled our recent data and 97.3% of our patients are up to date with their measles vaccinations. This helps protect our most vulnerable populations and those who cannot receive the vaccination. However, statewide we are just missing this mark. Because measles is so contagious, a vaccination rate of greater than 95% is required to provide herd immunity. Most recent data show in VT we are at about a 93% vaccination rate.
What can you do? Vaccinate your children on time, every time. Currently, we recommend measles vaccination with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine at 12-months with a booster at four years. The MMR vaccine is safe and effective. If you are travelling internationally, this vaccine can be given as early as 6-months but does require that your child still receive the two doses at 12-months and four years as recommended by the CDC and our office. As of today, we are not currently recommending additional or early vaccination for other reasons. This is in line with the CDC guidance. We will of course continue to monitor this and update our recommendations, as necessary.
If you are concerned your child has measles or has been exposed and you want to have them seen, please let our office know this when you call. We will take extra precautions to limit possible exposures for other patients and our staff, but we will not turn you away.
We care about your children, and we care about this community. We live here and we play here. We work here and we go to school here. Our investment in the health of this community runs deep. If you have specific questions about vaccines or anything else, please give our office a call and we can set up a time to meet.
Additional resources:
healthvermont.gov/disease-control/measles
healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/vaccine-preventable-diseases/Pages/Measles.aspx
