Are your patients protected from rubeola?

Patients have a 95% chance of being protected from rubeola if they received the proper vaccine, stored and handled in the correct manner, at the appropriate age. An increase in measles in teenagers is more likely due to technical problems (the vaccine, storage, handling, and age of administration) than to waning immunity. Provincial governments should follow the U.S. lead and mount programs to eradicate measles, just as we have done with smallpox. For patients whose immune status is unknown, serology should be done and only the susceptibles vaccinated.