Measles - What you need to know
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Per the Wisconsin Department of Health Services there were 24 confirmed cases of the measles as of September 2, 2025. This link, from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides up-to-date information and location of Measles cases in the United States: Measles Cases and Outbreaks | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread quickly in group settings like schools and childcare centers. With cases on the rise, it is essential to stay informed and take steps to protect children, staff, and families.
If your child is unvaccinated, please read the section below on exclusion policies, if there were to be an outbreak of measles in the area.
Key Points About Measles (Measles Symptoms and Complications | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC):
- Highly Contagious: Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been. This can happen even up to 2 hours after that person has left! If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.
- Symptoms: Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Common symptoms include:
- High Fever (may spike to more than 104° F)
- Cough
- Runny Nose
- Red, Watery Eyes
- Rash- appears 3-5 days after first symptoms. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline. They then spread downward to neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.
- Infectious Period: A person with measles can spread the measles virus 4 days before to 4 days after rash onset. Measles Clinical Diagnosis Fact Sheet | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC, Spanish Version
- Incubation Period (the time between exposure to measles and the start of symptoms): typically 11-12 days from exposure, but can range from 7-21 days.
- Serious Health Risks: Measles can lead to complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and in severe cases, death. This is especially true for children under the age of 5, adults older than 20 years of age, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
- Hospitalization: about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who get measles is hospitalized.
- Pneumonia: As many as 1 out of 20 children with measles get pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
- Encephalitis (brain swelling): About 1 out of every 1000 who get measles will develop encephalitis. This can lead to convulsions and leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.
- Death: nearly 1 to 3 of every 1000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications.
- Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE): a very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system. It results from a measles virus infection acquired earlier in life. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
What You Can Do Now:
- Check Vaccination Records - Please know any student(s) that is unvaccinated or under-vaccinated (only 1 dose of vaccine) for Measles would be excluded from school if there was an outbreak.
- Travel - please check if traveling to an area where an outbreak is occurring. Information can be found here: Measles Cases and Outbreaks | Measles (Rubeola) | CDC.
- Encourage Measles Vaccination - The CDC recommends that all children get 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12-15 months of age and the second dose at 4-6 years of age.
- How Effective is the Measles Vaccine? 1 dose of MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles. 2 doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective. Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination | CDC
- Adverse Effects of Measles Vs Adverse Effects of MMR Vaccine
- Monitor for Symptoms: Be watchful for signs and symptoms of measles. If measles is suspected, please seek care with your healthcare provider, an urgent care, or an emergency room. Notify the healthcare facility before you arrive that measles is suspected so that care can be taken to limit further spread.
- Know Exclusion Policies: Per DHS 144.07, (10) If a substantial outbreak as defined in s. DHS 144.02 (21) occurs in a school or child care center, or in the municipality in which a school or child care center is located, the school or child care center shall exclude students who have not received all required immunizations against the disease, including students in all grades who have not had 2 doses of measles vaccine, when it is an outbreak of measles that is occurring, when ordered to do so by the department. The exclusion shall last until the student is immunized or until the department determines that the outbreak has subsided. Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter DHS 144 (See table below.
- Practice Health Habits: promote respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, encourage frequent handwashing, disinfect frequently touched surfaces (such as doorknobs, tables, and counters), and please stay home if you are sick.
If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to Brown County Public Health at 920-448-6400.
If Exposure or Symptoms Occur:
- If symptoms occur, stay home and call your medical provider.
- If you need to seek medical care; please call ahead and alert the health care facility that you have been exposed to measles and are seeking care for symptoms. This allows the health care facility time to prepare and properly protect themselves and others in the facility.
- Exposure definition: being in the same airspace as a person with measles during their infectious period (4 days before to 4 days after the rash).
- High risk-individuals: anyone unvaccinated, immunocompromised, infants under 12 months, and pregnant people without immunity are at higher risk.
- Next steps if exposed:
- Public Health will contact those identified as close contacts.
- Unvaccinated individuals may need to stay home from schools/childcare for up to 21 days after exposure.
- Post-exposure vaccination or immune globulin may be recommended in certain cases-contact Public Health right away.
Brown County Public Health will work individually with any resident that has a confirmed case to determine infectious period and when the individual can come out of isolation and return to school/work. If there is any concern about a case of measles, please reach out to Brown County Public Health at 920-448-6400.
| Disease Name (aka, causative agent) | Spread by | Incubation Period (Time from exposure to symptoms) | Signs and Symptoms | Time Period When Person is Contagious | Criteria for Exclusion from School or Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | Inhalation or direct contact of respiratory secretions | 7-21 days; usually 10 days from exposure to fever, 14 days to rash | Blotchy red rash at hairline or on face that extends over body, watery eyes, runny nose, high fever, dry cough, diarrhea or ear infections | 4 days prior to 4 days after rash appears | Exclude for 4 days after rash onset; exposed at risk individual from day 7 - 21 following their earliest exposure |