Intentionally exposing people to measles at “measles parties” is not a safe way to prevent infection with the virus amid growing outbreaks, according to public health officials.
As of March 14, there were 301 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. – more than the total number of cases reported in 2024, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of these cases have related to three reported outbreaks, but cases have been reported in 15 jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
An outbreak in the South Plains and Panhandle regions of Texas alone was linked to 279 measles cases from mid-January through this Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. So far, 36 of those patients have been hospitalized.
According to the CDC, measles can sometimes manifest as a small rash and a fever that resolves after a few days. In other cases, infection can become serious. Complications related to measles include pneumonia and encephalitis.
With fewer Americans viewing vaccines as important, per Gallup polling, a “measles party” trend has ignited.
“Similar to chickenpox parties, measles parties involve deliberately exposing yourself or your child to someone with a confirmed measles infection in an attempt to build immunity,” explained the Austin American Statesman last month. It said that these gatherings contributed to a measles outbreak in New York City, in 2019, citing the Columbia Mailman School of Health.
In Texas, public health officials have warned against these parties.
“DSHS strongly advises against intentionally exposing anyone to infectious diseases like measles,” said the public health department. “Measles can cause severe complications and death, even in otherwise healthy people. You can’t predict how severe the symptoms will be.”
It added that “vaccination is the safest way to protect children against measles.”
Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, discussed the ongoing concerns about measles this week with WWJ Newsradio.
“We have only had the one case that’s been reported so far, but every time there’s a measles case, there's a lot of contact tracing that has to happen,” she said of her home state. “And so there are people who are contacting everyone who is exposed, trying to find out if additional people were exposed, and then monitoring those individuals for symptoms. So that is all happening right now.”
Regarding vaccines, Bagdasarian said it is a good time for everyone to figure out if they might need one. She explained that people born before 1957 likely have been exposed to measles and might have some type of immunity, but that it might want to contact their healthcare provider to make sure. Those who received shots between 1960 and 1970 most likely received a less effective version of the vaccine and might also want to consider getting a new dose.
“For other people, if you know that you received two doses of the MMR, you have 97% protection, and we consider that to be typically lifelong protection,” Bagdasarian said. “If you received a single dose of the MMR, that protection falls to about 93%. And so, it’s a good time to take a look back at your vaccination records, see what you’ve had.”
She also said that the vaccine is one of the safest and that there is little risk associated with receiving an extra dose.
“The vaccine is very safe. Measles infection, I want to remind people that it's not just another rash. It’s much more than that,” Bagdasarian added.
Since it was previously mostly eradicated in 2000, health care providers are also often unfamiliar with the condition. When it is in transmission, about 20% of children who contract the virus are hospitalized.
“I really want to advise the parents out there to, again, take a look at their kids’ vaccination records, make sure their kids are up to date,” said Bagdasarian. “The MMR vaccine does not cause autism. I know there’s been a lot of misinformation about that. There is no data to suggest it causes autism or any other really detrimental effects in childhood.”