1. The outbreak occurred because measles was imported into a population of children whose parents had chosen not to vaccinate their children because of safety concerns, despite evidence that that measles-containing vaccine is safe and effective (4) The cost of containing this outbreak was estimated at $167,685 (5).
2. Recommendations for preventing further measles transmission from importations in this and other U.S. settings include reminding health-care providers to 1) consider a diagnosis of measles in ill persons who have traveled overseas, 2) use appropriate infection-control practices to prevent transmission in health-care settings, and 3) maintain high coverage with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine among children.
3. Since monovalent vaccines containing measles, rubella, and mumps vaccine viruses -- and subsequently combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine -- were licensed, the numbers of reported cases of measles, mumps, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) have decreased by more than 99%
