Back to School, Back to Germs: What You to Know About Measles

As students put on their backpacks and grab their notebooks, there’s one more back-to-school item that often gets overlooked, vaccinations. Heading back to class doesn’t just mean learning, lunchboxes and sporting events, it also means kids are in close contact with others and exposed to contagious illnesses, especially measles.

Measles Around the Globe

In the U.S., measles was declared eliminated in 2000, thanks to widespread vaccination. But in recent months, the disease has made a comeback. Since January, the country has seen 1,356 confirmed measles cases, the highest number in more than 30 years. Just since July, 89 new cases have been confirmed, with outbreaks flaring up across multiple states. Only 10 states have reported no cases in 2025.

Canada isn’t immune. It’s the only Western country on the CDC’s top 10 list for current measles outbreaks. Alberta has emerged as the epicenter, with the highest per capita spread in North America.

Internationally, the situation is concerning. In Jerusalem, 12 children under age six are hospitalized due to measles, three of them in intensive care. Local health officials are urging parents to vaccinate their children as a protective measure.

Measles are also on the rise in the UK. Cases have been rising in the UK with more than 500 reported since January in England alone. The increase is being blamed on the poor uptake of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.

Meanwhile in South Korea, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 65 measles cases have been reported domestically as of July 5, a 40 percent increase from last year. 70.8 percent of these cases were imported, most commonly from Vietnam, followed by Thailand, Italy, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. Another 19 cases were linked to domestic transmission from imported infections.

What You Need to Know About Measles

Measles is contagious, one of the most infectious diseases. It spreads through coughing, sneezing, or even just breathing shared air. The virus can survive in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours, and one person can infect nine out of ten unvaccinated people nearby.

Early symptoms mimic a bad cold: fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, followed a few days later by the telltale rash. Since fever is one of the main symptoms it is important to take regular temperature checks a reliable thermometer like Exergen’s TempoTherm or TAT-2000C, which provide quick, accurate, and non-intrusive readings with a swipe across the forehead, by gently touching it.

The good news? Measles are preventable. It’s estimated that when 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, both those individuals and others in their community are protected against measles. The vaccine is safe, affordable, and highly effective. Two doses provide nearly complete protection. Community-wide immunity depends on all of us doing our part.

So, as kids return to school, let’s make sure they’re protected not just with school supplies, but with up-to-date vaccinations, too.

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