NY doctor urges parents to get their children vaccinated against measles

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Measles cases are on the rise, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO is warning that more than half of the world's countries are at a high risk of measles outbreaks. In the United States, there have been more than a dozen reported cases in 2024, including some in New York.

Health officials say the uptick is due to a pause in vaccination programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, doctors are urging parents to get their children fully vaccinated.

"Just get the vaccine. We'd like the two doses before you start school because that's when you're going to be seeing children who are not living in the same house as you," said Dr. Sharon Nachman, with Stony Brook University Hospital. "If you're not up to date and you haven't gotten them yet, there's no time like the present to get them."

The symptoms of measles include a high fever, a cough and a runny nose.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends children get the second dose of the vaccine by the age of 6.