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Quarantine & Isolation
I've been exposed to someone who has measles. What should I do? |
Immediately call your healthcare provider and let them know that you have been exposed to someone who has measles. Your healthcare provider can:
If you are not immune and do not get MMR or immune globulin, you should stay away from settings where there are susceptible people (such as schools, hospitals, or childcare) until your healthcare provider says it's okay to return. This will help ensure that you do not spread it to others. |
What are the signs and symptoms healthcare providers should look for in diagnosing measles? |
Healthcare providers should suspect measles in patients with a febrile rash illness and the clinically compatible symptoms of cough, coryza (runny nose), and/or conjunctivitis (red, watery eyes). The illness begins with a prodrome of fever and malaise before rash onset. A clinical case of measles is defined as an illness characterized by a generalized rash lasting 3 or more days, and a temperature of 101°F or higher (38.3°C or higher), and cough, coryza, and/or conjunctivitis. Koplik spots, a rash present on mucous membranes, are considered pathognomonic for measles. Koplik spots occur from 1 to 2 days before the measles rash appears to 1 to 2 days afterward. They appear as punctate blue-white spots on the bright red background of the buccal mucosa. Pictures of measles rash and Koplik spots can be found here. Providers should be especially aware of the possibility of measles in people with fever and rash who have recently traveled abroad or to an area with an ongoing outbreak in the United States, or those who have had contact with people from an outbreak area or international travelers. Providers should immediately isolate and report suspected measles cases to their local health department and obtain a nasopharyngeal, throat, and/or urine specimen for diagnosis confirmation and virus genotyping. Providers should also collect blood for serologic testing during the first clinical encounter with a person who has suspected or probable measles. |
What should we do if we suspect someone has measles? |
| Measles is highly contagious. A person with measles is infectious up to 4 days before through 4 days after the day of rash onset. People with suspected measles should be isolated for 4 days after they develop a rash. Airborne precautions should be followed in healthcare settings by all healthcare personnel. The preferred placement for patients who require airborne precautions is in a single-patient airborne infection isolation room. Providers should immediately isolate and report suspected measles cases to their local health department. CDC recommends that either a nasopharyngeal swab, throat swab, or urine specimen as well as a blood specimen be collected from all patients with clinical features compatible with measles. Nasopharyngeal or throat swabs are preferred over urine specimens. Measles is a nationally notifiable disease in the United States; healthcare providers should report all cases of suspected measles to public health authorities immediately to help reduce the number of secondary cases. Do not wait for the results of laboratory testing to report clinically suspected measles to the local health department. More information on measles disease, diagnostic testing, and infection control can be found here. |
How long does it take to show signs of measles, mumps, and rubella after being exposed? |
| For measles, there is an average of 10 to 12 days from exposure to the appearance of the first symptom, which is usually fever. The measles rash doesn’t usually appear until approximately 14 days after exposure (range: 7 to 21 days), and the rash typically begins 2 to 4 days after the fever begins. The incubation period of mumps averages 16 to 18 days (range: 12 to 25 days) from exposure to onset of parotitis. The incubation period of rubella is 14 days (range: 12 to 23 days). However, up to half of rubella virus infections cause no symptoms. |