Obstetric Consensus Statement

Alisa Kachikis, MD
Elizabeth Oler, MD
Raj Swati Shree, MD
Kristina Adams Waldorf, MD
Jane Hitti, MD MPH
Linda Eckert, MD

Revised April 2019

Measles, also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious airborne viral illness that infects approximately nine out of ten exposed susceptible individuals. Measles infection was common until the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was licensed in 1963 and became part of the routine immunization schedule. By 2000, measles was essentially eliminated from the United States. In the last decade, however, vaccination rates have waned and the incidence of measles has again risen, with one of the most recent outbreaks in the Pacific Northwest. The majority of those affected are unvaccinated, indicating that undervaccination is a risk factor for susceptibility to measles infection.

CITATION

Kachikis A & Oler E, Shree R, Adams Waldorf K, Hitti J, Eckert LO. Measles and the MMR vaccine:recommendations around pregnancy, including the periconception and postpartum periods: obstetric consensus statement. University of Washington, revised April 2019. Available at http://providerresource.uwmedicine.org/reproductive-perinatal-and-neonatal-care.