Health Service

Measles Precautions for Faculty and Staff

Recent instances of measles around the country have raised questions about who might be at risk of getting the disease, particularly among faculty and staff. While the university requires full-time and matriculated students to provide proof of immunity to measles, adults may not know whether they were vaccinated. Others received a rather weak measles immunization in the 1960s. The next time you visit your personal primary care provider, ask about acquiring “evidence of immunity” to the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one dose of the measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles. Two doses increase the effectiveness to about 97 percent. Those who travel outside the United States are more likely to be exposed to measles, which is among the most contagious illnesses.