Massachusetts Researchers Identify Pockets of Low Measles Vaccination Rates in State

Following decades of public health efforts to combat measles, the disease is resurging across the United States. While Massachusetts and other New England states are well-protected due to high vaccination rates, Boston researchers have discovered how to identify areas of the Bay State that are vulnerable to outbreaks.

According to a Boston Globe report, researchers Dr. Ben Rader, the scientific director of Boston Children's Hospital's innovation group, and Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer of Boston Children's Hospital, began this work while researching vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. They noticed that skepticism around the COVID-19 vaccine seemed to impact regular childhood immunization, including the measles, mumps, and rubella, or MMR, shot.

According to research published in Nature Health, Rader and Brownstein used Outbreaks Near Me data and a Google geospatial AI tool to map MMR vaccination rates by ZIP code in Massachusetts, revealing pockets of under-vaccination.

Risk varies by ZIP code, with very low-risk areas like Winthrop in the 02152 ZIP code contrasted by higher-risk zones such as Middlefield (01243) and Conway (01341). These risks are assessed based on the percentage of children younger than 5 who have received at least one shot of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious disease physician and founding director of Boston University Center on emerging infectious diseases, told the Globe that while Massachusetts remains largely unaffected, the nature of travel between areas of the country where measles cases are on the rise poses problems. 

“It just increases our vulnerability for those areas in our state in particular that might have low vaccination rates,” Bhadelia said. “The concern for a state like Massachusetts that still maintains a pretty high overall vaccination is when you get these coalescing pockets of lower immunity.”

A panel of international experts will review the United States' measles elimination status later in 2026. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children receive their first dose between the ages of 12 and 15 months and their second dose between the ages of 4 and 6.