Measles (rubeola) is highly contagious virus that is spread through the air when people who have it breathe and cough. It is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease that causes high fever, respiratory symptoms, and rash. One out of five unvaccinated people who get measles is hospitalized. Measles causes death in 1-3 out of 1,000 unvaccinated cases. Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of premature labor, miscarriage, and low birth weight infants. Measles can be especially severe in persons whose immune systems are weak. After being eradicated in the United States for many years, measles cases have begun increasing around the country.
If You Have Been Exposed to Measles But Have Not Been Vaccinated: As per MDH guidance, you will need to be excluded from campus life and quarantine for 21 days. Both St. Olaf and Carleton colleges are following these guidelines.
Vaccinated adults who are exposed to measles do not need to quarantine and can continue campus life as usual unless symptoms appear; however, they must remain vigilant for symptoms during the 21 day period. During this current 2025-26 measles outbreak in the U.S., about 5% of the infected individuals had been previously vaccinated (this is an important fact, given our highly residential and interconnected community).
Measles is highly contagious.
- It spreads through the air when a contagious person coughs or sneezes (and infected droplets can land on surfaces).
- The virus can remain airborne for two hours.
- You can get measles just inhaling the air in a room where a person with measles has been (this can happen even up to two hours after that person has left), or by touching infected surfaces and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Symptoms begin to appear 7 to 21 days after exposure and generally follow this timeline:
- 7–14 days after initial infection: The earliest symptoms appear, including fever and the three Cs—cough, coryza (runny nose), and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
- 2–3 days after symptoms begin: Koplik spots, small white bumps with a red halo, may appear on the inner side of the mouth before the onset of rash.
- 3–5 days after symptoms begin: The characteristic measles rash, flat red spots originating near the hairline, emerges. The rash spreads to the face, neck, abdomen, arms, legs, and feet (the spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body, and small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots).
- When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.
A person is contagious (can pass it to others) from four days before their rash appears to four days after it appears (a person can be contagious before they have a fever).
To receive the MMR vaccine, students can contact Health Services (507-786-3063; healthservices@stolaf.edu) or pharmacies in Northfield or elsewhere.
The measles vaccination is the best way to protect from becoming infected. The measles vaccination is usually combined with mumps and rubella (MMR). One dose of MMR is 93% effective against measles. Two doses are 97% effective against measles.
The MMR vaccine does not guarantee absolute immunity.
- This is an important point when considering our highly residential campus.
- During this current 2025-26 measles outbreak in the U.S., about 5% of the infected individuals had been previously vaccinated (the remaining 95% were unvaccinated).
You are considered exposed to measles if either of the following is true:
- You were in a shared air space with a contagious individual at the same time.
- You were in a shared air space vacated by a contagious individual within the prior 2 hours.
It does not matter how long you were in the space. Measles is so highly contagious that you have now been exposed (unless you were wearing a respirator that is at least as protective as a fit-tested, NIOSH-certified disposable N95 filtering facepiece respirator).
Students: Inform the Dean of Students (507-786-3615) and Health Services (507-786-30630) immediately. They will instruct you regarding campus quarantine requirements.
- Call your doctor or clinic right away. They will let you know if you need to come in for a visit and provide instructions on how to enter the clinic (wear a well-fitting mask, etc.). If someone drives you to the clinic then (1) roll down the car windows, (2) have the passenger/patient sit in the back seat opposite of the driver’s side, (3) have both the driver and passenger/patient wear well-fitting masks, and (4) ensure that the driver is vaccinated against the measles.
- If you have not been vaccinated, getting an MMR shot within three days of being exposed may prevent you from getting measles.
- If you get a shot of immune globulin (a blood product with antibodies to the measles virus) within six days of being exposed to measles, it may prevent or lessen the severity of measles.
- You must quarantine. You can not be in public places on campus. If feasible, you should return home to quarantine.
There is no specific treatment for measles. People with measles must isolate during their contagious period and need bed rest, fluids, and control of fever. They may also need treatment for complications such as diarrhea, ear infection, or pneumonia.
Research has shown that people who get measles may have a higher risk of getting sick from other infections even after they have recovered from the measles infection. This is because measles can continue to affect the body’s immune system after the infection has gone away.
The measles virus can damage immune cells that help the body protect against viruses and bacteria it has encountered before. This effect is sometimes referred to as immune amnesia because the immune system temporarily forgets how to respond to other germs. This damage to the immune system might last months or even up to a few years.