1. Measles and whooping cough can cause serious health problems.

Both measles and whooping cough (also known as pertussis) can cause serious and lasting health effects, especially with children.

“Measles is not just a rash,” said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blue Cross. “It can have very serious complications, including ear infections that lead to permanent hearing loss, pneumonia, and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).”

Whooping cough triggers severe coughing episodes that make it difficult to breathe and could also lead to pneumonia, said Dr. Colli. Infants are at greatest risk because their immune systems are still developing.

“The younger you are when you get it, the more devastating it can be,” Dr. Colli said.

2. Measles is extremely contagious

When more people develop immunity to a virus – usually through vaccines – it becomes more difficult to spread.

But achieving herd immunity is different for every virus and depends on how contagious it is. Measles, for example, spreads so easily that an estimated 95 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

“Measles is one of the most contagious viruses,” Dr. Colli said, adding that only two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine can provide lifelong protection for most people.

In most states, children are required to get the MMR vaccine before entering kindergarten. But kindergarten classes in 37 states have vaccination rates below the 95 percent needed for herd immunity, according to the most recent CDC data available.

One of those states is Pennsylvania, which had vaccinated 95 percent of its incoming kindergarteners from 2017-2022 until dropping below that mark for the 2022-2023 school year.

Of the 2024 measles cases through mid-September, the CDC said more than two-thirds involve people under the age of 19, and 87 percent were unvaccinated.

3. Whooping cough vaccine is NOT one and done.

While two doses of the MMR vaccine offer most people lifelong protection against measles, the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine wanes over time, said Dr. Colli.

The CDC recommends everyone receive five doses of the pertussis vaccine between 2 months and 6 years of age, with a final dose at age 11 or 12. Women who are pregnant also should receive it, according to the CDC.

Whooping cough poses the greatest threat to infants, but Dr. Colli said teens and adults should follow the CDC schedule to protect the younger members of their household and community.

“The best thing we can do to protect our infants is to make sure all the adults around them are vaccinated with a recent Tdap booster,” Dr. Colli said. “I recommend that if a person has never had a Tdap (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) booster, they get it at least once.”

4. Outbreaks impact entire communities.

Outbreaks do more than spread illness – they inflict painful consequences that can ripple through entire communities. For example, a study from the journal Pediatrics estimated that a 2021 measles outbreak in Washington state cost $1 million in lost workforce production.

In 2016, Dr. Colli helped address a whooping cough outbreak in Chambersburg that started in a local school. At the time, he said it was a “call to action” for parents to become more informed about the importance of childhood vaccinations.

With similar outbreaks occurring in 2024, including at a school in Montgomery County (Pa.),  doctors are again calling to ramp up vaccinations efforts.

“The real risk lies in not getting vaccinated,” Dr. Wigginton said. “It leaves yourself, your family, and others in your community vulnerable to these highly contagious and potentially life-threatening illnesses.”

Vaccine Insurance Coverage

Because they are a preventive measure, the MMR and pertussis vaccines are covered by most health plans offered by Capital Blue Cross if you meet criteria set by the CDC, said Michael Ballow, a clinical pharmacist at Capital Blue Cross.