Vanderbilt study abroad students and travelers may be affected by a recent outbreak in measles. This outbreak may not cause concern in the many immunized students within the safe confines of the Vanderbubble, but Dr. Louis Hanson, director of Student Health, said it is a pressing problem.

"All college students are affected ... American students (are) going abroad and bringing back strains of measles and mumps is the real threat," said Hanson.
Forty-five years after the development of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, measles has returned as a considerable problem. Kathryn Edwards, professor ofPediatrics and vice-chair of Pediatric Medicine at the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, said non-vaccinated individuals and travelers from abroad have released a vigorous and highly contagious strain of measles in the U.S., especially since recent factors have led to a decrease in MMR vaccinations.

"Religious belief and the recent scare by media about autism and neurobehavioral diseases linked to the MMR vaccine keep some residents of Tennessee from vaccinating their children," said Edwards.

The risk of measles being reintroduced back into the community is still alive. According to Hanson, there exist pockets of underimmunized students on Vanderbilt's campus. Students put themselves at risk of contracting the disease if they avoid getting the two MMR shots required before the start of fall semester of their first. In an effort to emphasize the importance of immunization, procedures for immunization compliance have grown more intensive for the class of 2012. If a student does not comply with immunization, Vanderbilt is prepared to suspend their spring semester registration.