The good news is that existing vaccines also prevent this process. By blocking the virus from infecting the immune system in the first place, it also preserves immunity to other diseases. A single dose of vaccine is 93% effective at preventing measles, while two doses offer 97% protection.

The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Many doctors have never seen measles in person. The Texas outbreak is reshaping how health systems prepare for drops in vaccinations.

Measles outbreaks across North America are threatening the region's status of having officially eliminated the virus, officials from the Pan-American Health Organization warned, potentially undoing a hard-fought victory to wipe out community transmission.

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Vaccination provides long-lasting 97% protection against measles infection. Most people who have been vaccinated do not need to be vaccinated again.

The COVID-19 vaccine has prompted more than 10 times as many reports of adverse symptoms than the measles vaccine.

As a measles outbreak in West Texas continues to grow, the response from US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has leaned heavily on treatment with vitamin A, as well as “good results” from the use of the steroid budesonide,

The measles outbreak in Texas has sparked debate over the use of vitamin A, with some health experts warning it may not be effective.

Measles symptoms resemble other common childhood illnesses, but occur all together. Early symptoms include a relentless cough, runny nose, and red, puffy eyes similar to conjunctivitis or pink eye.