If your child is too young to receive vaccination to protect them from measles, what should you do to keep them safe?
In March, the Fresno County Department of Public Health confirmed a second case of measles in the county in 2025. The announcement comes on the heels of the death of a young girl in Texas in February, the first reported measles death in the United States since 2015.
Children typically aren’t administered the first dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine until they’re a year old, so what should you do to keep your baby safe until they can be vaccinated?
Dr. Hailey Nelson with Valley Children’s Healthcare says it’s a combination of limiting exposure when cases have been reported and keeping your home as free of germs as possible.
Additionally, she says that if parents are breastfeeding their baby, continuing to do so will provide them with an added benefit.
“That actually contains antibodies that help keep your baby healthy,” said Dr. Nelson.
Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Hailey Nelson joined Valley Children’s Specialty Medical Group as a complex care pediatrician at the Charlie Mitchell Children’s Center in 2016.
