California doctors: Measles exposure is a warning we cannot ignore | Opinion

Imagine you are a first-time parent who has done everything right: installed safety gates, limited screen time, checked the smoke detectors and made sure helmets are worn when riding bikes. Then comes your child’s first big school event.

They’re excited to see other children, but later that evening, the phone rings. It’s a call from the school with a message no parent ever wants to hear: “Your child has been exposed to measles.”

Before long, you are standing in an intensive care unit, surrounded by unfamiliar machines and the steady rhythm of alarms and monitors. A physician explains that the virus has caused severe pneumonia, and your child is struggling to breathe, now needing oxygen.

Recently, as many as 130 children were exposed to measles at a school event here in Sacramento, and the California Department of Public Health has already confirmed six cases in 2026 alone.

How could this happen? And how did we get here?

As pediatricians, we encounter vaccine hesitancy firsthand. Some parents hesitate because misinformation online frames measles as a mild childhood illness or claims that natural infection builds stronger immunity. Others worry about vaccine safety.

One persistent myth is the thoroughly debunked claim that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. The 1998 study that sparked this fear was later retracted for fraud, and its lead author lost his medical license; since then, studies involving more than 1.2 million children have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

These concerns often come from a place of wanting to protect children, but the evidence tells a different story.

Measles is one of the most contagious known viruses. Up to 90% of unvaccinated people develop infection after exposure, and the virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room. Far from mild, measles causes pneumonia in about 1 in 20 children, brain swelling (encephalitis) in about 1 in 1,000 and death in one to three people per every 1,000 cases, even in previously healthy children.

Meanwhile, decades of research involving millions of children show the MMR vaccine is both safe and highly effective, preventing measles in 93-95% of recipients after one dose and 97% after two doses.

If your child has been exposed to measles, contact your pediatrician and the local public health department immediately. Exposed individuals may need to stay home from school or daycare to prevent further spread. Unvaccinated children may receive the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure, which can prevent or lessen illness.

The most effective protection, however, remains vaccination before exposure occurs.

There is no ambiguity in the science: The risks of measles and its serious complications far outweigh the rare side effects of routine vaccination. Children should receive the measles vaccine at 12 months and again at four years of age. Additionally, infants who are between 6–12 months may receive an early dose if traveling internationally or during outbreaks.

At a time when some of the loudest vaccine skeptics have never witnessed the devastating diseases these vaccines prevent, it is more important than ever that physicians and public health experts speak clearly about their safety and lifesaving value.

We have the tools to prevent measles.

Choosing to vaccinate your child against measles is one of the most loving and effective decisions you can make as a parent — talk to your pediatrician today about the safe, proven MMR vaccine and give your child the protection they deserve.

Dr. Brighton Alvey and Dr. Jacob Gilbreth, members of the American Academy of Pediatrics, are pediatricians practicing in Sacramento County with doctorate degrees in medicine.