Has the CDC Issued New Measles Travel Warnings?

Advice to get vaccinated before traveling out of the country is not new.

Why do some people think that the CDC has issued new measles travel warnings

The CDC has been recommending measles vaccination for all international travelers since at least 1989!

Mostly, because that is how it is being reported by the news.

Has the CDC Issued New Measles Travel Warnings?

In reality, though, there has been no big upgrade or changes in the advice CDC gives travelers when it comes to measles.

The CDC has long recommended that international travelers get vaccinated and protected against measles before traveling, which can including early doses of the MMR vaccine for young children.

So what’s the change?

“Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events. Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune.”

CDC Global Measles Travel Notices

The CDC did add a little blurb reminding folks that they could be exposed while traveling.

And while this might seem like a warning about all travel, not just international travel, the blurb ends by saying “CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before traveling to any international destination.”

In addition to international travel, be sure to get vaccinated before traveling to anywhere in the US that has an ongoing outbreak.

The other change they made is that they stopped listing individual countries that have an ongoing risk of measles, as most are now seeing outbreaks.

But even when they listed individual countries, the recommendation was still to get vaccinated for all international travel.

Even when the CDC said that you should especially be vaccinated if traveling to higher risk countries, they also advised “Be sure that you and your travel companions (infants 6 months of age and older, children, and adults) are fully protected against measles before any overseas travel.”

Removing the “especially when going to” high risk countries is a bit of an upgrade, but there was always a recommendation for everyone to get vaccinated.

Measles Travel Warnings

Advice to get vaccinated before traveling out of the country is not new.

Advice to get an early MMR for children is not new.

What is new, is all the attention from the media!

Hopefully they will now start including the advice to get vaccinated when they write about measles outbreaks!

They might also add measles complications, local immunization rates, vaccine exemption rates, and in larger outbreaks, how much it is likely to cost to contain the outbreak and who is going to pay for it.

Maybe then we can finally stop these outbreaks.

References

CDC Global Measles Travel Notices https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe Page last reviewed: May 28, 2025

CDC Global Measles Travel Notices https://web.archive.org/web/20230612184800/https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe Page last reviewed: May 16, 2023

CDC. Measles Prevention: recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP). MMWR 1989;38(no. S-9):1–13.