The state health department said Thursday Michigan has its first measles outbreak (defined as three or more connected cases) since 2019.
That makes a total of seven cases this year, including a one-year-old girl from Ingham County. Officials say the infected child may have exposed other children at a local daycare. There are over 700 measles cases nationwide, according to 2025 numbers from the Centers for Disease Control.
One day before traveling out-of-state, the child received her first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. We don’t know at what point on her trip the child was exposed to measles, but we know it often takes a couple weeks for the body to respond to the vaccine.
We also know that vaccine hesitancy rates are rising steadily, meaning the rate of child vaccinations is hitting a low. As of December 2024, about 80.4% of Michigan kids aged 19-35 months have received their first dose of the MMR vaccine. About 86% of Michigan kids between 13-17 years have received both doses of the vaccine.
Dr. Rebecca Schein, a pediatrician specializing in infectious disease and a Michigan State University assistant professor, is paying close attention to these numbers.
Of the over 700 cases, 20% of cases belong to children under 5, according to the CDC, but because children cannot be vaccinated until their first birthday, they are at higher risk of contracting measles.
“That's who we're trying to protect,” Schein said.
What does measles look like?
Initially, it presents like any other virus — a high fever, cough, congestion, bright red eyes. But a couple days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out, Schein said. The rash, which presents unevenly, begins with the head and works its way down the body.
"Children who have measles look kind of miserable and uncomfortable," she said. "After about one to two days of the fever and congestion symptoms that's when you break out in the rash."
It’s also what usually brings a person to the doctor. But the infectious period for one of the most contagious diseases begins four days before the rash, and persists until four days after symptoms present.
The airborne disease can linger in the air for up to two hours, according to the CDC. Schein recommends those who suspect a measles infection notify their pediatrician as soon as possible before heading into their office.
“It's really important to notify the doctor's office as soon as you can so that they will treat you correctly and make sure no one else gets exposed,” Schein said.
What’s the risk, really?
While the Ingham County one-year-old might’ve experienced a milder case of measles thanks to her first dose, the virus could’ve had deadly consequences.
About one in five children who contract measles are hospitalized, according to the CDC. The virus can cause death, severe meningitis, pneumonia or an autoimmune process where the body attacks the brain and spinal cord. Children who contract measles at a young age could even contract subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a fatal neurological disorder, 10 years down the line.
The long term effects of meningitis can vary significantly, Schein said. Measles can also cause hearing loss, visual impairment and learning deficits.
What effect does the vaccine have?
The measles vaccine has been around in its current form since 1971. Typically, the vaccine comes in two doses. The first dose covers about 93% of people, Schein said. The second dose immunizes about 5-7% of people, covering those who weren’t covered by the first dose.
The threshold for herd immunity, though, is reached when over 85% of individuals in a population are vaccinated. This typically protects the portion of the population unable to receive the measles vaccine, including immunocompromised children, children under one year of age and pregnant women.
What can concerned parents do? Schein’s advice
The Ingham County Health Department is still trying to figure out how many children at the daycare are immunized against measles, but they stated that 83% of children aged 19 to 35 months in Ingham County are covered by the measles vaccine. That’s under the herd immunity rate.
Schein’s biggest piece of advice for concerned parents is to make sure that everyone around a young child is vaccinated. Until then, parents can keep their children out of large crowds when possible given the high current risk of measles.
“There's no need to take that child into a situation where there's a lot of people around while the risk of measles is still out there,” Schein said. “Hopefully we'll have this contained within a few weeks.”
If an unvaccinated child is exposed though, Schein recommends the child stay home through the incubation period, which lasts between the time of exposure until when the child is sick. This period typically lasts about 10-14 days, but can last as long as 21 days.
At a time of high vaccine hesitancy, it really comes down to vaccine education, Schein said. While some vaccines are better at preventing severe effects of a disease, like COVID-19 and flu vaccines, other vaccines are more effective in preventing infection.
“In general, all of the vaccines that are approved and on schedule have been well-studied and are safe and have minimal to no harms associated with them,” Schein said. “So sometimes having an understanding (of) what the vaccine is designed to do is also helpful.”
