Once you have booked your tickets, arranged your travel insurance and started your packing checklist, another key appointment to get out of your way early is to visit a travel health clinic to ensure you are fully protected from any diseases you may experience when travelling.
For the most part, the travel vaccination schedule is focused on diseases that are rarely, if ever, found in the UK but are more common elsewhere and can be potentially dangerous without protection.
Rabies, yellow fever and typhoid fever are effectively nonexistent in the UK and therefore immunisation is needed to avoid contracting these diseases and limit their symptoms.
However, in some cases, a disease on the routine immunisation schedule may also be a recommended travel vaccination.
This is true for the MenACWY meningitis vaccination when attending Hajj, and has become increasingly true for measles given an increase in the number of outbreaks around the world.
Whilst the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is given in childhood and provides long-term protection from the highly contagious disease, is there anything more you can do to protect yourself from measles whilst travelling?
What Is Measles?
Of the three contagious diseases that the MMR vaccine provides protection from, measles is the most contagious and can become a serious illness if it spreads throughout the body.
This propensity for measles to spread is why vaccination is such a priority, and also why people who contract measles and develop the characteristic rash across the body are advised to self-isolate for at least four days.
According to a Gov UK factsheet, one in 15 cases of measles can lead to serious complications such as lung infections, ear infections and seizures, with infants, pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised having a higher risk of this.
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, as two doses of the MMR vaccine will provide 99 per cent protection from measles for life.
If you are unsure about your vaccine history, ask your local travel pharmacist and see if a booster injection is necessary or right for you.
Why Are Measles Outbreaks Increasing?
There have been a number of measles outbreaks worldwide in 2025, with the most notable of these being in the United States, a country where measles had been declared eliminated in 2000.
There were also outbreaks reported in Canada, Morocco and Afghanistan. Each of the outbreaks in these countries has a somewhat different cause, which shapes how aid and treatment efforts will take effect in each of these countries.
Typically, measles outbreaks are caused by communities that are unvaccinated or undervaccinated, which is why children in the UK are immunised against MMR and there is a notification procedure if someone has the disease in order to shape public health strategy.
In Afghanistan, the difficulties in recovering from decades of war and the damage caused to public health infrastructure and agriculture have made it impossible to reach a wide number of children to get them vaccinated, and malnutrition has increased the risk of measles cases becoming serious.
In Morocco, the reason for its major outbreaks according to the World Health Organisation is the result of its geography; as the country lies between the Middle East, Africa and Europe, there is a lot of international travel, which increases the risk of disease transmission and makes it harder to contain outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as measles.
In Canada and especially the United States, however, the issue is linked to disruptions in immunisation protocol for children as the priority for vaccinations was disrupted due to a global health crisis.
As well as this, the USA’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) noted that large outbreaks are more commonly seen in small communities with a low rate of vaccination and reported instances of vaccine hesitancy.
How Do You Protect Yourself From Measles Abroad?
The first, simplest and most important step is to get vaccinated; check your immunisation history and make sure that you have had both doses of the MMR vaccine, as this will provide lifelong protection from the disease.
Practice good hygiene, keep washing your hands, clean and disinfect frequently touched items, and cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. If possible, it may be worth considering wearing a mask whilst in transportation hubs such as airports or bus stations.
Beyond this, make sure you are up to date on any other travel advice for the country or countries you are planning to go to, and ensure you get any other vaccines that are recommended.