IDPH Measles Guidance for Schools
Illinois Department of Public Health requires one dose of MMR for daycare students aged ≥12 months and pre-school aged students, and two doses of MMR vaccine for students in grades K through 12, unless they have other presumptive evidence of measles immunity, which includes laboratory evidence of immunity or laboratory confirmation of disease.
- There may be some students who received a dose of MMR at 6-11 months of age. This is considered an extra dose and does not count toward the above MMR immunization requirement. These students must still complete the two-dose series starting at age 12 months.
- Some students may have received their second dose of MMR prior to turning 4 years old. As long as the first dose was administered at or after 12 months of age and the second dose was given after a minimum of four weeks (28 days) from the first dose, this second dose should be considered valid for their school requirements.
- Note that if MMRV was used, the minimum interval between doses of the MMRV vaccine is three months.
Vaccines are available in Illinois through publicly funded programs: Vaccines for Children and Adult Immunization Programs. The Vaccine Locator Dashboard provides users with vaccine availability and directions to provider sites.
IDPH Criteria for Exclusion from School (applies to any students and staff who are not fully immunized for measles):
- Exclude for at least 4 days after the start of rash
- Susceptible contacts: those who do not receive the vaccine within 72 hours of exposure shall be excluded for 21 days after the onset of the last case.
Measles is highly contagious- it’s easier to catch than the flu or COVID-19. It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. The virus can be spread to others anytime from four days before to four days after the measles rash appears. It can happen after someone with the measles has coughed or sneezed, when other people breathe the contaminated air or touch an infected surface, then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. The virus can linger on a surface or in the air for two hours.
If you suspect you have been exposed to someone who has measles, call your doctor immediately so they can make a plan to determine whether you have immunity, evaluate you, and provide advice on what to do next. If you do get the illness and your case isn’t severe enough for you to go to the hospital, you should stay home and isolate yourself for four days so you won’t spread the virus to others, according to the CDC.
For additional information, please see the links below: