South Korea warns travelers about measles
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has urged travelers to take special care to prevent measles infection as the demand for overseas travel is expected to increase significantly during the summer vacation and holiday season.
This year, a total of 65 domestic measles patients occurred since the beginning of the year through week 27, which is a 1.4-fold increase from the same period last year (47 cases).
Of these, 46 cases (70.8%) were confirmed cases linked to travel overseas. They were infected after visiting Vietnam (42 cases), Uzbekistan, Thailand, Italy, and Mongolia (1 case each).
In addition, there were 19 cases of measles acquired locally.
Among the patients, 76.9% (50/65) were adults aged 19 years or older, and 55.4% (36/65) had no measles vaccination history or did not know about it.
According to recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of measles patients worldwide is expected to reach approximately 360,000 in 2024, and the measles epidemic continues not only in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, but also in Southeast Asia, a region visited by many Koreans, increasing the risk of measles infection while traveling abroad.
The number of measles patients (incidence rate per million population) in major countries in the Western Pacific region in 2025 was 377 (257.5) in Mongolia, 1,097 (147.9) in Cambodia, 288 (88.9) in Laos, 336 (23.5) in Malaysia, 1,050 (21.6) in the Philippines, and 151 (3.6) in Vietnam.
Due to the increase in social interaction and international travel following COVID-19, as well as the lower vaccination rate during the COVID-19 period, the occurrence of measles has increased worldwide, and in 2024–2025, the occurrence has increased significantly in countries with low vaccination rates (such as the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam*). In Korea, sporadic inflows through travel to countries with measles outbreaks are continuing, so caution is needed regarding infection during overseas travel.
* 2023 global measles second vaccination rate 74% (Korea 96%, WHO recommends 95% or more (Source: UNICEF))
If you develop symptoms suggestive of measles, such as fever or rash, within 3 weeks of visiting a country where measles is prevalent, it is important to minimize contact with others, wear a mask, visit a nearby medical institution, inform the medical staff of your overseas travel history, and receive treatment.
In particular, if there are high-risk groups such as infants, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people before the first dose of measles vaccine at home, and if suspicious symptoms appear after traveling abroad, they should minimize contact within the home and immediately visit a medical institution for treatment.
In medical institutions, if a patient with a history of overseas travel within the past 3 weeks or contact with an overseas patient shows symptoms of fever, rash, and respiratory symptoms, they should be treated with suspected measles and immediately reported to the relevant public health center in the event of a suspected patient. In addition, medical institutions such as pediatric hospitals that treat infants before the first vaccination should check the two-dose MMR vaccination history of medical staff and employees and ensure that they have completed the vaccination in order to prevent the spread of measles within the institution.
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Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection that can be transmitted through the air, with an incubation period of 7 to 21 days (average 10 to 12 days). The main symptoms are fever, rash, cough, runny nose, and conjunctivitis. It is easily transmitted through contact with a measles patient or through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing. If a person without immunity to measles comes into contact with a patient, there is a more than 90% chance of infection (see Attachment 1). However, since measles can be sufficiently prevented through vaccination*, it is important to complete a total of two doses of the measles vaccine (MMR) for children aged 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years, who are eligible for national immunization support.
* [Vaccination implementation standards and methods] The antibody conversion rate after MMR vaccination is 95-98%, so measles can be prevented through vaccination.
In particular, infants under 12 months of age with weak immune systems are at high risk of complications such as pneumonia, otitis media, and encephalitis when infected, so extra caution is required. Therefore, it is necessary to refrain from visiting countries where measles is prevalent as much as possible. In unavoidable cases, infants aged 6 to 11 months before the first vaccination are also recommended to receive the national measles vaccination* (accelerated vaccination) before departure.
* Vaccination is required before departure, taking into account the period of time (usually 2 weeks) until protective immunity is formed after vaccination.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized, “As overseas travel increases significantly during summer vacation and the holiday season, citizens should check whether they have been vaccinated against measles (two times total, at 12-15 months and 4-6 years of age) before traveling, and if they have not been vaccinated or their vaccination history is uncertain, we ask that they complete the vaccination before leaving the country. In addition, infants aged 6-11 months before the first vaccination are also recommended to receive national vaccination (accelerated vaccination) before visiting countries where measles is prevalent.”
In addition, they requested, “Please wear a mask and follow personal hygiene rules while traveling abroad, and if you have suspicious symptoms such as fever or rash within 3 weeks of traveling abroad, immediately visit a medical institution and inform them of your overseas travel history. Also, medical staff should actively cooperate with suspecting and reporting measles.”