Public health experts are recommending that infants aged 6 to 11 months get an early dose of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccination, also known as the MMR vaccine, in addition to the two shots they get in early childhood.

Currently, public health guidelines only recommend an early additional MMR dose for infants traveling internationally.

However, New Jersey has lost its herd immunity, putting unvaccinated people, especially children, more at risk — mirroring a trend across the United States as vaccination coverage wanes and outbreaks increase, including two confirmed deaths from measles and one under investigation.

In response to what they call “a growing domestic hazard,” a group of experts is calling for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to expand the recommendation of an early additional MMR dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months traveling to locations in the U.S. with measles outbreaks.

An outbreak is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as three or more cases related cases in a community. For example, Erie County in Pennsylvania declared a measles outbreak on Tuesday.

Historically, unvaccinated children returning from international travel to regions where measles remains endemic have been the biggest source of U.S. measles cases.

“However, multiple recent U.S. measles outbreaks, coupled with low vaccination rates, signal a growing domestic hazard,” wrote authors of the article “Revising U.S. MMR Vaccine Recommendations Amid Changing Domestic Risks” in JAMA, a peer-reviewed general medical journal.

The recommendation comes at a time of increased risk in New Jersey, where the chance of catching measles is higher now than it was five years ago.

“Unfortunately, post-pandemic, as a state we have dipped below that herd immunity,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston during an April 7 Assembly Budget Committee hearing on the fiscal year 2026 budget.

Public health experts say that measles control depends on herd immunity of 95% vaccination coverage and that rate has been declining in the U.S. and in New Jersey, while the number of people going unvaccinated climbs.

The CDC recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 to 6 years old.

As of 2023, 93% of kindergartners in the state have received two or more doses of MMR vaccine, which is slightly above the national average of 92.7%, but still a decline from the state’s 2022-23 vaccination rate of 94.3%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are pockets of the state that have an even lower vaccination rate than the state average, said Baston earlier this month.

READ MORE: More kids are going unvaccinated in N.J. See the county-by-county list.

“I often say we’ve moved from the information age to the misinformation age. There’s so much bad information out there and it’s tough for families, right?” Baston said to lawmakers.

“But this is one thing that they could check off their worry list and just get the vaccinations their kids need and then it’s one preventable tragedy that we shouldn’t have to face,” said Baston, a primary care physician.

Just four months through the year, the number of measles cases reported in 2025 has already exceeded all those recorded in 2024. In Texas, there have also been two documented deaths, the first measles deaths in the U.S. in over a decade.

“We are very concerned that this is going to become a very big issue within the next five years,” said Assemblywoman Ellen Park, D-Bergen, during the hearing.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily through coughing and sneezing. Even after an infected person has left the room, the virus can remain present in the air for up to two hours, according to the CDC.

Before the introduction of vaccines in 1963, the CDC estimates about 50,000 people were hospitalized for measles each year and 500 people died annually from the disease, most of them children.

Even small declines in measles vaccine coverage can lead to outbreaks, public health experts say.

There may even be a higher risk of measles exposure in parts of the U.S. than other international destinations, according to public health experts. Protection for infants is critical because they face a heightened risk of severe measles-related complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and death, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a red rash that begins at the hairline, according to the CDC.

The rash usually starts three to five days after the other symptoms. People can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears.

Ninety-seven percent of the cases reported in the United States for 2025 are among people who had not received the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or have unknown vaccination status, according to the CDC.

As of April 10, a total of 712 confirmed measles cases were reported by 25 states, according to the CDC. Of those infected, 79 have been hospitalized with two deaths.

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.

Weathering the Storm

The Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the NHL at home. And their fans are a big reason for that. But the symbiotic relation has a lot to do with how well the Hurricanes start games. From the opening puck drop, Carolina comes at its opponents with an all-out effort. And in those opening minutes can build momentum for the entire game.

“When it goes to the first TV timeout, they’re outshooting their opponent pretty dramatically,” Keefe said of pre-scout. “And that’s against some of the best teams in the league. You have to go into it prepared for that and manage it. Over time you’re able to get some footing in the game and get yourself going.”

“Carolina is a hard building to play on the road,” Palat said. “They’re always buzzing the first five,10 minutes. We need to relax. Take a deep breath. Play a good structure and then go from there.”

The Devils lost both games they played in Carolina this season. And it’ll be a tough environment. But without home-ice advantage, the Devils will have to win at least one game in Carolina to ensure a series victory.

“It’s not easy to play there. They come out very hot,” Hischier said. “You expect that from every team in the playoffs. There are no easy games from now on. We know that. We have to be ready for it and excited for it.”

New Jersey is the first state in America to sue Discord, a messaging app popular among gamers.

“I’m horrified by Discord as a company’s dishonesty,” said Attorney General Matt Platkin. “It tells parents that their app is designed to protect children from harm, knowing full well that simply is not the case.”

Two hundred million users are on Discord to chat over video, audio or text. The state argues that its youngest users aren’t protected.

Discord requires its users to be at least 13 years old. But there isn’t any age verification to sign up in the United States – anyone can say they are any age. In the United Kingdom and Australia, Discord is “experimenting” with requiring users to scan their face or an ID to access sensitive content or change settings.

This week, a Toms River man was charged for traveling to Norway in 2023 to have sex with a 14-year-old girl. According to the complaint, 28-year-old Jacob Bauer chatted with the girl on Discord.

By default, Discord users can receive friend requests from anyone. But two users can chat even without being friends if they’re in the same server. The largest have millions of users.

“It’s another tool that bad actors online can use,” said Rowan University academic Esports coordinator Dr. Kacey Doran. “I don’t think that it’s inherently more unsafe than other online tools that children are going to use.”

The Rowan University Esports club has its own Discord server, but users need a university email to join. Doran says effective moderators can make the difference.

“It makes me sad and scared and disappointed,” Doran said. “I have nephews, and I play video games with them. I can picture and understand people’s concerns about this. And so, that would be my recommendation – not to set up community servers without having dedicated, responsible people who are moderating it.”

The state is asking for an injunction to stop Discord from violating the Consumer Fraud Act, as well as returning profits.

Discord spokesperson Jillian Susi replied with this statement:

“Discord is proud of our continuous efforts and investments in features and tools that help make Discord safer. Given our engagement with the Attorney General’s office, we are surprised by the announcement that New Jersey has filed an action against Discord today. We dispute the claims in the lawsuit and look forward to defending the action in court.”