# Measles: Symptoms, Complications and the MMR Vaccine > Measles spreads through the air and can cause serious complications, but two doses of the MMR vaccine protect reliably. Symptoms, treatment, and vaccination in Georgia. Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through the air. The virus travels in droplets when a sick person coughs or sneezes, and it can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours. You can catch it just by sharing a room with someone who is infected. According to WHO, one person with measles can infect up to 18 others who are not immune. People are contagious from about 4 days before the rash appears to about 4 days after, so they often pass it on before they know they are sick. ## Measles symptoms: what the illness looks like Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure. The illness then follows a typical pattern. - **First days (4 to 7 days).** High fever, cough, a [runny nose](https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/runny-nose), red and watery eyes, sore throat, and loss of appetite. Light may hurt the eyes. Small white spots with a red ring can show up inside the cheeks (Koplik spots), which helps a doctor recognize measles before the rash appears. - **Rash.** A [rash](https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/rash) appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. It starts on the face and upper neck and spreads down the body over about three days. The spots are flat, can merge, and usually itch only a little. - **Recovery.** The fever drops, the rash fades, and the skin may peel or leave darker marks that go away on their own. In people who were vaccinated, measles can be milder and less typical, with a paler rash and a lower fever. If you were exposed, still get checked. ## Why measles is dangerous Many people recover without lasting problems, but complications are common. The most frequent are ear infections and pneumonia. Less often the brain is affected: the CDC estimates that about 1 in 1,000 people with measles develops encephalitis. Measles can also cause severe diarrhea and eye damage, including blindness. The illness is hardest on children under 5, adults over 30, people with weak immune systems, and pregnant women, for whom it raises the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. The virus also wipes out part of the immune system's memory, so for a while after measles the body fights other infections less well. ## How measles is diagnosed and treated A doctor makes the diagnosis from the symptoms and any contact with a sick person, and confirms it with a lab test for antibodies or the virus itself (PCR). There is no specific antiviral medicine for measles. Care is supportive: rest, plenty of fluids, fever control, and watching the breathing. WHO recommends vitamin A for all children under 5 with suspected measles, but only a doctor should prescribe it. Antibiotics do not work against the virus and are used only for bacterial complications. A sick person should stay home for about 4 days after the rash appears and stay away from daycare, school, and work. ## Measles vaccine in Georgia The only reliable protection is the vaccine. In Georgia, measles protection is part of the national immunization schedule through the combined MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella). The course has two doses, at 12 months and at 5 years of age (Minister's Order No. 01-60/n, version of July 13, 2023). Unvaccinated children and teenagers get two doses at least four weeks apart. Clinics in Georgia offer, among others, MMR (Serum Institute of India) and Priorix (GSK). Vaccine prices at clinics in Georgia are listed further down this page. For children under 18, calendar vaccines are free under the state program, at the polyclinic or family doctor where the child is registered. MMR is a live vaccine, so it is not given during pregnancy or to people with severe immune deficiency, and a doctor decides about vaccination in case of an allergy to a vaccine component. If you are planning a pregnancy and are not sure you are protected against measles and rubella, talk to your doctor before you conceive. Adults with no vaccination record and no past measles should ask a general practitioner or an infectious disease specialist how many doses they need. ## What to do after contact with someone who has measles Tell a doctor about the contact as early as possible, before any symptoms: in the first days after exposure, protection is sometimes possible for an unvaccinated person. Call the clinic or your family doctor ahead of time and say that you suspect measles, so you are not seated in a shared waiting room and do not infect other patients. Watch your temperature for the next three weeks. ## When to see a doctor urgently - the fever stays above 39 °C (102 °F) or lasts more than three days; - shortness of breath, labored breathing, or chest pain; - severe headache, drowsiness, seizures, or confusion; - a child refuses to drink, urinates rarely, or is limp; - a pregnant woman has been in contact with someone who has measles. If the condition is severe, call an ambulance at 112. ## Vaccination - MMR · Free · Free under the state programme, visit 150 GEL · price as of 05.10.2026 — Genova clinic: https://bigmed.ge/en/clinics/genova-clinic - MMR · 360 GEL (course 720 GEL) · free under the state programme · price as of 08.10.2026 — Rcheuli medical: https://bigmed.ge/en/clinics/rcheuli-medical - Priorix · 360 GEL (course 720 GEL) · on order · price as of 08.10.2026 — Rcheuli medical: https://bigmed.ge/en/clinics/rcheuli-medical ## Doctors - Giorgi Basheleishvili — Pediatrician, General practitioner: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/giorgi-basheleishvili (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/giorgi-basheleishvili.md) - Salome Akhvlediani — Pediatrician: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/salome-ahvlediani (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/salome-ahvlediani.md) - Khatuna Loladze — Pediatrician: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/khatuna-loladze (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/khatuna-loladze.md) - Margarita Zakharevich — Pediatrician, Hematologist: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/margarita-zaharevic (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/margarita-zaharevic.md) - Dmitry Semin — Pediatrician: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/dimitri-siomin (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/doctors/dimitri-siomin.md) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you get measles twice? After measles, immunity usually lasts for life, and second cases are very rare. A vaccinated person is less well protected without the second dose, so both doses matter. ### Does an adult need the vaccine? If you did not have measles as a child and there is no record of two vaccine doses, ask your doctor. It matters most for health workers, people who work with children, and anyone planning a pregnancy. ### How is measles different from rubella? Both cause a rash, but measles is more severe, with a high fever, cough, and marked eye symptoms. Rubella is milder but dangerous for an unborn baby. Read more on the pages about rubella and mumps: one vaccine protects against all three. ### Is the MMR vaccine safe? The reaction is usually mild: a sore arm, a low fever, or a rash 1 to 2 weeks later. Serious allergic reactions are rare. A doctor checks for contraindications before the shot. ### Is the vaccine free? For children under 18, yes, under the state program. The 2026 state immunization program also provides measles-rubella vaccine to unvaccinated adults over 18 and to people who had contact with a measles patient. Your polyclinic can tell you where to go. ## Related articles - Vaccination for Kindergarten in Georgia: What Parents Need to Know: https://bigmed.ge/en/blog/vaccination-kindergarten-georgia (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/blog/vaccination-kindergarten-georgia.md) - Childhood Vaccination in Georgia in 2026: https://bigmed.ge/en/blog/childhood-vaccination-in-georgia-in-2026 (markdown: https://bigmed.ge/en/blog/childhood-vaccination-in-georgia-in-2026.md) ## Symptoms - Skin rash: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/rash - Runny nose: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/runny-nose - Fever: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/fever - Red eyes: https://bigmed.ge/en/symptoms/red-eyes --- Canonical: https://bigmed.ge/en/diseases/measles Country: Georgia (GE), the country in the South Caucasus Updated: 2026-10-04T14:14:35+04:00