The New York State Department of Health issued a travel advisory for all New Yorkers urging them to ensure they are fully vaccinated against measles before international travel or travel to an area in the U.S. experiencing an outbreak.
View, print and share the NYSDOH Travel Advisory as of April 2, 2025:
Measles is a highly contagious virus. Around 90% of people who are exposed to a person with measles will become infected if they are not vaccinated. Because measles is so contagious, it easily crosses borders. Currently, measles outbreaks are happening in parts of the United States and Canada, especially in Ontario, and around the world. With spring and summer travel season approaching, anyone who is not protected can get measles while traveling and can easily spread it to others when they return home. Large measles outbreaks are possible when measles cases reach at-risk populations with low immunization rates against measles.
The best way to protect against measles is to make sure you are up-to-date on immunization with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The total number of measles cases in the United States in the first three months of 2025 has already surpassed the total number of measles cases in all of 2024.
As of March 26, 2025, a total of 483 measles cases have been reported by twenty U.S. jurisdictions this year: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, District of Columbia, Vermont and Washington; 442 of which occurred in New Mexico and Texas.
Most of the 442 cases are among children who had not received the MMR vaccine. Additionally, the ongoing outbreak in Canada has reached over 600 cases with the majority (570 cases) occurring in Ontario.
In addition to Canada, many other countries around the world have an increased number of measles cases including Yemen, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Ethiopia, Romania, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and Viet Nam.
No matter where you travel, make sure you and your family are protected against measles.
The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is by getting the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. You should plan to be fully vaccinated against measles at least 2 weeks before you depart. If your trip is less than 2 weeks away and you are not immunized, you should get a dose of MMR. The MMR vaccine protects against all 3 diseases.
If you’re unsure whether you’ve been vaccinated, first try to find your vaccination records or consult with your health care provider. Your provider or local health department can help you decide if you need a MMR vaccination. Generally speaking, serologic titers are not recommended, if in doubt give a dose of vaccine. Call your health care provider or reach out to your local health department for assistance in scheduling an appointment for the MMR vaccine. CDC does not recommend measles vaccine for infants younger than 6 months of age.
In addition, certain individuals cannot receive the MMR vaccine for medical reasons:
Get an early dose of MMR vaccine if traveling to a high-risk area. Then follow the recommended schedule and get:
Note: People who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with either inactivated (killed) measles
vaccine or measles vaccine of unknown type should be revaccinated with at least one
dose of live attenuated measles vaccine. This is important even when you are not
travelling.
*Acceptable evidence of immunity against measles includes at least one of the
following:
Measles is highly contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Measles symptoms typically include:
Call your health care provider:
Avoid contact with others if sick. People who are infected can spread measles to
others from 4 days before a rash develops through 4 days after the rash appears.
For more information:
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