The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recent health advisory to remind healthcare providers to be on the lookout for cases of measles and to educate patients on measles prevention. 

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, to discuss why measles prevention continues to be critically important.

Specific topics of discussion include:

• A brief history of measles activity in the United States, and why measles cases are rising.
• Why the virus is so contagious, and how herd immunity applies to measles.
• Vaccination and prevention methods.
• Testing options available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories including:
  • Molecular testing to detect the viral RNA in urine (MEASU) and throat swabs (MEASR), 
  • Serology testing on serum to detect IgM (ROM) or IgG-class antibodies (ROPG), or serology testing on cerebrospinal fluid (ROC).