(CNN) — A year and a half ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said two doses of the measles vaccine were no longer needed for children up to 18 months old.
Now, another CDC announcement on Monday may mean those who said they were infected with measles are likely no longer contagious.
Earlier, CDC director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald issued a statement saying that after reviewing data from the 2017-2018 season, there was no credible evidence that removing two doses of the MMR vaccine from children’s vaccination schedules significantly reduced measles outbreaks.
The agency’s updated advice on children’s MMR vaccination schedule anticipates that vaccination rates will drop over time and that fewer children will receive two doses of the vaccine, leading to higher measles cases.
A report on Monday said that the CDC estimates about 7.5 million measles cases occur globally every year, including more than 400,000 deaths. Vaccination rates against measles have dropped by more than 99% since 2000.
The most recent measles vaccine requirements were for children up to 2 years old in March 2016, at 2 years old in August 2016 and at 6 months old in October 2016. In 2017, the CDC and US Food and Drug Administration agreed to change the recommended schedules for children 4 to 18 months old.
People who have been previously vaccinated against measles are considered immune, and they are considered to be considered safe. If a person had a measles illness, symptoms generally include a fever, cough, runny nose, runny eyes and a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and neck to the rest of the body.
Since 2012, California has had six measles outbreaks caused by people who were not vaccinated.