measles

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References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Gloved hands draw liquid from a vial into a syringe, overlaid on a digitally colored microscopic image of a virus with round particles in clusters.

Find out from Dr. Tina Tan of Northwestern University why adult vaccination against various types of diseases is important

Historical mass vaccination programs in the United States

For Students

measles summary

Discover

Dancers at a Cinco de Mayo festival at the Mission District, San Francisco, California. (Photo dated 2019.) holidays

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's Independence Day?

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

Normandy Invasion: Omaha Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Facts and Figures About the Landings on Omaha Beach During the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944

airplane in flight (plane, aircraft, flying)

7 Puzzling Plane Disappearances

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

measles: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 09, 2025

News •

Measles outbreaks in Michigan and Pennsylvania end, while Texas logs just 4 new cases • June 9, 2025, 2:40 PM ET (AP)

Amid measles outbreak, Texas is poised to make vaccine exemptions for kids easier • May 27, 2025, 1:08 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	rubeola

Photos and Videos

Historical mass vaccination programs in the United States

Gloved hands draw liquid from a vial into a syringe, overlaid on a digitally colored microscopic image of a virus with round particles in clusters.

Find out from Dr. Tina Tan of Northwestern University why adult vaccination against various types of diseases is important

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Koplik spot Morbillivirus MR vaccine subacute sclerosing panencephalitis MMRV vaccine notifiable disease MMR vaccine paramyxovirus human disease nutritional disease AIDS malaria diabetes mellitus polio tuberculosis Alzheimer disease influenza smallpox breast cancer

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

infectious disease: Measles (rubeola) vaccine

Key People

Maurice Hilleman

Maurice Hilleman

American microbiologist

Baillou, detail of an oil painting by an unknown artist, c. 1580

Guillaume de Baillou

French physician

Quiz

44 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Health and Medicine Quizzes

3d illustration human heart. Adult Anatomy Aorta Black Blood Vessel Cardiovascular System Coronary Artery Coronary Sinus Front View Glowing Human Artery Human Heart Human Internal Organ Medical X-ray Myocardium

Medical Terms and Pioneers Quiz

A Yorkshire terrier dressed up as a veterinarian or doctor on a white background. (dogs)

A Visit with the Word Doctor: Medical Vocabulary Quiz