Measles is back in the news in Maryland, and honestly, it’s frustrating. We thought we had this beat decades ago. But late in 2024 and heading into 2025, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) started sounding the alarm again. It’s not just one isolated incident anymore. It’s a pattern. Specifically, a case identified in a Montgomery County resident who had recently traveled internationally sparked a scramble for contact tracing that felt like a throwback to 2020.
The measles outbreak in MD isn't a massive wave yet, but it’s a warning shot.
You’ve probably heard people say measles is "just a rash." That is dangerously wrong. It’s a respiratory virus that happens to show up on the skin, but it starts in the lungs. It hangs in the air. If someone with measles walks into a room at BWI Marshall Airport and leaves, you could walk into that same empty room two hours later and still catch it. That’s the level of contagiousness we’re talking about.
The Montgomery County Incident and the Ripple Effect
When the MDH confirmed a case in early 2024, the investigation pointed to several high-traffic "exposure sites." This included a professional office building in Gaithersburg and a busy international airport terminal. Think about the math there. One person. Thousands of potential interactions.
State Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health, Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, has been vocal about the fact that measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to man. If you aren't immune, and you're exposed, there is a 90% chance you're getting it. No "maybe." No "I have a good immune system." You're getting it.
The Montgomery County case wasn't an outlier. It followed a similar trend seen in the National Capital Region. In 2023, the Virginia Department of Health tracked exposures at Dulles and Reagan National airports. Because Maryland is a transit hub, what happens in NoVa or D.C. inevitably spills over the border. Our "outbreak" is really a regional vulnerability.
Why the Maryland Department of Health is Worried
It’s about the numbers. To maintain "herd immunity"—the fancy term for having enough vaccinated people that the virus hits a dead end—we need about 95% of the population to be vaccinated. Maryland used to be great at this. Most of our school districts hovered well above that mark.
But things changed.
💡 You might also like: How to Treat Uneven Skin Tone Without Wasting a Fortune on TikTok Trends
The 2022-2023 school year showed a dip. Not a huge one, but enough to create dry tinder for a fire. According to CDC data, Maryland’s kindergarten vaccination rate for the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine slipped slightly below that 95% "gold standard" in certain pockets. When you drop to 92% or 90% in a specific neighborhood or private school, the virus finds the gaps.
Spotting the Signs: It’s Not Just Spots
Let’s get real about what this looks like. Most people think you wake up covered in red dots. You don't.
It starts like a nasty cold. High fever. Cough. Runny nose. Watery, red eyes (conjunctivitis). This is the "prodromal" phase. It lasts about four days. You think you have the flu. You go to the grocery store. You go to work. You're spreading it everywhere.
Then come the Koplik spots. These are tiny white grains that look like salt inside your cheeks. Most people don't even notice them. Finally, the rash breaks out. It usually starts at the hairline and works its way down to your toes. By the time you see the rash, you’ve been contagious for days.
The complications are the scary part. We aren't just talking about being itchy.
- One out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia.
- One in 1,000 will develop encephalitis (brain swelling) which can lead to permanent deafness or intellectual disability.
- For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.
These aren't made-up stats to scare you; they are the baseline clinical reality that doctors in Baltimore and Silver Spring are bracing for.
The Misinformation Gap and the "Immune Amnesia" Factor
Here is something weird that most people don’t know: measles can "erase" your immune system’s memory. It’s called immune amnesia.
📖 Related: My eye keeps twitching for days: When to ignore it and when to actually worry
A study published in Science in 2019 showed that the measles virus kills the cells that "remember" other diseases. So, if you had the flu or a different virus three years ago and your body learned how to fight it, measles can wipe that memory clean. After recovering from measles, you might be vulnerable to things you were previously immune to. It’s like the virus reformats your immune system’s hard drive.
Why aren't people talking about this? Mostly because we've become victims of our own success. Because the vaccine worked so well for so long, we forgot how devastating the disease actually is.
Navigating the Measles Outbreak in MD as a Parent or Traveler
If you’re living in Maryland right now, specifically in the I-270 corridor or near the major airports, you need a plan.
First, check your records. If you were born before 1957, you’re likely immune because you probably had the disease as a kid. If you were born after that, you need two doses of the MMR vaccine. Many adults only got one. If you aren't sure, you can ask your doctor for a "titer" test. It’s a simple blood draw that checks for antibodies.
What if you were at an exposure site?
Maryland health officials usually list these sites on the MDH website. If you were at the Gaithersburg office building or BWI during the specified windows, and you aren't vaccinated, you have a very short window for "post-exposure prophylaxis." If you get the MMR vaccine within 72 hours of exposure, it might prevent the disease or make it way less severe.
The School Exemption Issue
Maryland law requires vaccines for school, but there are medical and religious exemptions. In recent years, the number of non-medical exemptions has crept up. This isn't just a "parental choice" issue when it affects the kid in the classroom who has leukemia and can't get vaccinated. That kid relies on everyone else to be a shield. When the shield breaks, the most vulnerable people in our communities pay the price.
👉 See also: Ingestion of hydrogen peroxide: Why a common household hack is actually dangerous
Local health departments in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties have been holding extra clinics to try and catch kids up who fell behind during the pandemic years. If your kid missed a wellness check in 2021 or 2022, they might be part of the gap.
Common Myths Debunked by Reality
People love to say the MMR vaccine causes autism. It doesn't. That "study" by Andrew Wakefield from 1998 was a fraud. It was retracted. He lost his medical license. Yet, the ghost of that lie still haunts Facebook groups in Bethesda and Annapolis.
Another one: "I’ll just give my kid Vitamin A."
While Vitamin A is used in hospitals to treat severe measles cases and reduce the risk of blindness, it is not a substitute for a vaccine. It’s a treatment for a crisis, not a preventative.
Then there’s the "natural immunity is better" crowd. Sure, if you survive measles, you’re immune for life. But you’ve also risked brain damage, pneumonia, and wiping out your immune memory for other diseases. It’s a bad trade.
Actionable Steps for Maryland Residents
Don't panic, but do be proactive. The measles outbreak in MD is manageable if we stop the transmission chains now.
- Audit your family's yellow cards. Find those immunization records. If they are lost, assume you need a booster or get the titer test mentioned earlier.
- Watch the MDH alerts. If you travel through BWI or use public transit in the DMV area, keep an eye on the news for "exposure notifications." These are usually very specific about dates and times.
- Isolate early. If you have a high fever and a cough, stay home. Don't go to the urgent care waiting room and sit there for three hours breathing on everyone. Call ahead. Tell them you’re worried about measles so they can bring you in through a side door or see you in your car.
- Support school health. Encourage your local school board to stay firm on vaccination requirements. Herd immunity only works if the herd actually participates.
Maryland is a beautiful, highly educated state with some of the best hospitals in the world. Between Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland Medical System, we have the expertise to handle this. But doctors can only treat the patients that come through the door. The real work happens in the community, making sure the virus has nowhere to go.
If you’re traveling abroad this summer—especially to parts of Europe, Africa, or Asia where outbreaks are currently surging—make sure your second MMR dose was at least two weeks ago. The world is smaller than it used to be. A virus in London or Manila is only a direct flight away from BWI.
Stay vigilant, check your status, and don't let a 9th-century disease cause 21st-century problems in our backyard.
Key Resources for Marylanders
- Maryland Department of Health (MDH): Check their "Current Health Hot Topics" page for active exposure sites.
- Local County Health Departments: Most Maryland counties offer low-cost or free MMR vaccines for those without insurance.
- CDC Travelers' Health: Look up your destination before leaving BWI or Dulles to see if measles is spiking there.
Immediate Next Steps:
Locate your immunization records or your child's pediatric portal login. If you see only one dose of MMR listed for an adult, or if your child hasn't received their second dose (usually given between ages 4 and 6), call your primary care provider today to schedule the shot. If you are uninsured, contact your local Maryland County Health Department to find a federally qualified health center that can provide the vaccine at no cost.