COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the state experiences below-recommended immunization rates against measles, medical experts are reminding parents that the best protection for children against the disease is vaccination. According to the Ohio Department of Health, immunization rates for 2-year-olds against measles, mumps and rubella in 2023 were 91.5%, below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 95% coverage target. ODH has not reported any new measles cases this year as of March 1. Michael Patrick, an emergency medicine physician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said the vaccine does “a really great job at preventing infection.” The vaccine is given to babies aged 12 to 15 months and then to children ages four to five. The first dose is 93% effective, and the second is 97% effective. Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a highly contagious virus. Symptoms include a high fever, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes. After about three to five days of the initial symptoms, the characteristic rash appears. Patrick said the virus can stay suspended in the air through tiny water droplets. “When you cough into your hand, your hand gets a little bit wet,” he said. “Those are little water droplets, and the measles virus isn’t heavy enough to make them drop down to the floor.” In some cases, measles can cause severe infections in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. “We know that there is a high complication rate [with measles],” Patrick said. Common complications include ear infections and diarrhea. But about 1 in 5 unvaccinated Americans who get measles are hospitalized, the CDC said. Scott Weaver, a center of excellence director for the Global Virus Network, an international coalition, said the disease is deadly “in a little less than 1% of cases, mainly in children.” “Children develop the most severe illness,” he said. “The cause of death in these kinds of cases is usually pneumonia and complications from pneumonia.” Although there is no cure or treatment for measles, doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable. Patients with symptoms are advised to drink plenty of water to replace fluids lost to diarrhea or vomiting. Doctors may use antibiotics to treat pneumonia and ear and eye infections, according to the World Health Organization. The Cleveland Clinic says people with measles can rest and avoid harsh light to alleviate symptoms. They can also take acetaminophen for aches pains or fever and gargle with salt water. All patients with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart to prevent eye damage or blindness and reduce the number of measles deaths, the WHO says. The virus typically lasts from about 10 to 14 days. People who have had measles once can’t get it again, health officials say. Weaver, who also works at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, said one inflected person may infect about 15 other people on average. “There’s only a few viruses that even come close to that,” he said. Experts also recommend people with symptoms to stay home from work or school to prevent spreading measles to others, the Cleveland Clinic says. They can usually stop isolating after four days of having the rash. Most people have protection that lasts for life after getting vaccinated in early childhood, but some may want to consider a booster shot, such as people who have gone through chemotherapy. Measles is rarely seen in the United States but cases are recently rising in places like rural West Texas. This week, an unvaccinated child died in the West Texas outbreak, which involves more than 120 cases. The CDC said the last confirmed measles death in the United States was in 2015. During the 2023–24 school year, national kindergarten coverage with state-required vaccinations declined to 92.7% for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, according to the CDC.