(Des Moines, IA) — Health experts are telling Iowans to prepare for the nationwide measles increase that could hit the state.
The CDC lists Iowa as one of the top ten lowest states to be vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella. The measles virus spreads through coughing and sneezing with symptoms like high fever, cough, and a rash that spreads from the face downward typically appearing seven to 14 days after exposure. Two hundred and twenty-two cases have been reported nationwide in 2025 alone.
Measles is unlike other childhood viruses that come and go. In severe cases it can cause pneumonia. About 1 in 1,000 patients develops encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and there are 1 or 2 deaths per 1,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The virus can wipe out the immune system, a complication called “immune amnesia.”
When we get sick with viruses or bacteria, our immune systems have the ability to form memories that quickly allow them to recognize and respond to the pathogens if they’re encountered again.
Measles targets cells in the body, such as plasma cells and memory cells, that contain those immunologic memories, destroying some of them in the process.
