All international travelers should get measles vaccinations, CDC says
[June 03, 2025]
By MIKE STOBBE
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials have changed their advice to
international travelers about measles, saying that Americans should be
vaccinated against the virus no matter where they're going.
U.S. residents are recommended to get measles-mumps-rubella shots,
anyway. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously
emphasized the importance of vaccination for travelers going to
countries with outbreaks.
Last week, the CDC updated its guidance to call for vaccinations for
travelers going to all other countries.
Ashley Darcy-Mahoney, a researcher at George Washington University's
nursing school, called the update significant.
An Colorado outbreak last month stemmed from an international flight
that landed in Denver, she noted. The CDC travel notice change reflects
a recognition that people are not just being exposed to measles in
countries where it's spreading, but also in airplanes and during travel,
she added.
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Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health
Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and
rubella vaccine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. (AP
Photo/Annie Rice, File)
 “We're seeing a shift from localized
outbreaks to transmission in transit,” and the CDC seems to be
responding to that, Darcy-Mahoney said.
The travel notice advises two doses for all Americans ages 1 and
older. An early dose is advised for traveling infants ages 6 months
to 11 months. The U.S. has seen more than 1,000 measles cases so far
this year.
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