The author's 16-month-old during her hospital stay where she may have been exposed to measles.

I’m at the hospital when I get the call. It’s a Thursday morning, not even 24 hours since my C-section. I’m watching my newborn son nap in his bassinet and trying to enjoy my first meal since surgery.

The caller ID says CHKD Children’s Hospital, so I answer. My 16-month-old daughter was just released from that hospital earlier in the week following a severe bacterial infection that caused her lymph nodes to swell an extraordinary amount.

“Hello?” I say, worried that they uncovered something concerning in her bloodwork.

“Hello, I’m a paediatrician at Norfolk Children’s Hospital. I’m calling to check on Camille, and to let you know that she may have been exposed to the measles during her stay with us.”

My heart dropped, and the post-surgery nausea that had nearly subsided suddenly returned.

The doctor proceeded to tell me that she was reading from a script, and that they (under the advisement of the Virginia Department of Health) were recommending that all young children exposed receive their second measles vaccine as soon as possible. She then asked me about the vaccination status of everyone else who visited my daughter at the hospital, including myself, my parents, my husband and my almost-3-year-old.

Thankfully, both of my daughters had their first measles shot, which grants immunity in up to 95% of individuals. However, I now have a vulnerable infant to consider, and even a small chance of exposing him to this virus with no protection is too big of a risk.

So, under the advice of our paediatrician, I decided to give both of my daughters their second measles-mumps-rubella vaccine early. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable with this decision — especially with my 16-month-old just recovering from an infection and borderline immunocompromised. But it was the best decision available to me.

And because of parents who opt out of vaccinating their kids, I was put in the position to make it.

The recent measles scare in Virginia came from a student at a local elementary school. Though the individual’s vaccination status was not directly stated in a letter from the Virginia Beach Department of Health or in an interview with officials, several local outlets have taken this opportunity to advocate for the safety and continued necessity of childhood vaccinations. Of the 1,491 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. this year, 92% occurred in individuals who were unvaccinated (or who had an unknown vaccination status).

In fact, 2025 boasts more measles cases since the disease was considered eliminated in 2000 — and more than any other year in the past three decades.

Low vaccination rates caused by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine movements are largely to blame.

In........

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