Cases and outbreaks of measles are increasing in Washington, the U.S. and globally, and older adults who are planning to travel to other countries may need to be vaccinated before their trips, according to health officials.
The national Centers for Disease Control recommend the vaccination for any adult who wasn’t born before 1957 or hasn’t previously received two doses of the measles virus vaccine (MMR or MMRV). The same recommendation applies to any other international travelers who are at least six months old.
People who were born before 1957 likely had measles in their youth and are less likely to get the illness again.
In the U.S., about 90 percent of measles cases are linked to global travel, officials said.
More information is available at cdc.gov and from Washington’s Department of Health at doh.wa.gov.