Should you get another measles vaccine?

With cases rising, it's a good time to assess your protection

Apr 12, 2025

I’m enjoying the annual meeting of Demography Nerds this week, so just a quick note to pass along a helpful resource.

For those concerned about rising measles cases, here is a great summary of the vaccine recommendations for adults (thanks to folks at This Week in Virology (TWIV) for linking to this handy table from New York Presbyterian Hospital).

¹HCP must provide evidence of immunity by either two documented measles vaccinations or positive measles IgG. ²Vaccination is preferred; it is cost-effective as only requires one visit and safe even if person received two prior doses.

Most adults will already be well protected, but if you were born in certain years you might want a “better safe than sorry” dose. While I fall into the group initially vaccinated with one dose between 1968-1989, I was a teen living in Houston during the 1989 Texas outbreak, and remember going to a clinic get an extra dose at that time (thanks Mom!).

What about babies who haven’t been vaccinated?

Babies typically don’t recieve their first MMR dose until 12-15 months of age. This is because circulating maternal antibodies transferred via the placenta can interfere with the infant developing their own immune response.

Babies 6-11-month-olds can receive an early dose if they live in an outbreak area or are traveling internationally, but they will still need the full two-dose regimen after age 12 months, for a total of three doses.

Babies under 6 months of age generally have some protection from maternal antibodies, but this fades with time. Young babies with a known measles exposure can receive an immunoglobulin (IG) to help them fight the infection.

For a recent update on measles situation in the US, see this great summary from

Those Nerdy Girls

Stay well-

Jenn