Response to a hospitalized case of measles at a medical school affiliated hospital

A 27-year-old women was diagnosed as having measles 2 days after being hospitalized for an unrelated complaint. Hospital personnel, medical housestaff, and students were considered at risk for developing measles infection. Over a 7-day period, measles vaccine was administered to individuals born in or after 1957. No secondary measles cases occurred in the hospital. An immediate response to the possibility of nosocomial measles transmission can be successfully undertaken, but ongoing preemployment or preenrollment school programs are more practical and potentially can have a higher rate of compliance.