By now, you have likely heard the news that we are on track for record-breaking numbers of measles cases this year, both in the United States and around the world.
You may also have heard that some of the folks getting caught up in these outbreaks weren’t actually anti-vaccine, but were people who thought they already had measles or thought they were already vaccinated and protected.
How to Avoid Getting Caught up in a Measles Outbreak
Are you and your family protected against measles?
You might be thinking, “of course we are, we get all of our vaccines!”
But you still might want to double check, keeping in mind that:
- only people born before 1957 are thought to have natural immunity to measles, because measles was very common in the pre-vaccine era
- the original measles vaccine that was used between 1963 and 1967 was not thought to be effective, so if that’s the only dose you had, it should be repeated
- a recommendation for a second dose of MMR didn’t come until 1990, so many people born before that time have only had one dose, especially since there was never a catch-up program to make sure older people had two doses. Even now, adults don’t necessarily need two doses of MMR unless they are in a high-risk group (foreign travel, healthcare workers, living with someone who has a compromised immune system, people with HIV, and students).
- children don’t routinely get their first dose of MMR until they are 12 to 15 months old (one dose is 93% effective at preventing measles), with a second dose at age 4 to 6 years (two doses are 97% effective)
- a third dose of MMR isn’t typically recommended for measles protection
Still think you and your family are protected?
In addition to routine recommendations, to avoid measles in a more high risk setting (traveling out of the country or during an outbreak), you should:
- get infants an early MMR, giving them their first dose any time between 6 and 11 months of age (repeating this dose at age 12 to 15 months)
- get toddlers and preschoolers an early second dose of MMR, giving them their second dose at least 28 days after the routine first dose that they received when they were 12 to 15 months old, instead of waiting until they are 4 to 6 years
- get older children and adults two doses of MMR if they haven’t already had both doses
What if your baby is exposed to measles before you have a chance to get him vaccinated?
Younger infants who are less than six months old can get a dose of immunoglobulin within 6 days if they are exposed to measles. Older infants, children, and adults can get a dose of MMR within 72 hours if they are not vaccinated and are exposed to someone with measles.
And the very best way to avoid measles is to keep up herd immunity levels of protection in our communities. If everyone is vaccinated and protected, then we won’t have outbreaks and our kids won’t get exposed to measles!
More on Avoiding Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – Everything You Need to Know About the Measles Vaccine
- VAXOPEDIA – What to Do If Your Child Is Exposed to Measles
- VAXOPEDIA – Who Needs an MMR Vaccine?
- VAXOPEDIA – Why Are You Still Worried About the MMR Vaccine?
- VAXOPEDIA – The Myth That Measles Isn’t Deadly
- VAXOPEDIA – Who Is at Risk If You Don’t Vaccinate Your Kids?
- VAXOPEDIA – Who Dies with Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – Why Are We Having Measles Outbreaks If MMR Vaccination Rates Are Not Declining?
- VAXOPEDIA – What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – How Contagious Is Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – How Often Should You Do Vaccine Titer Testing?
- VAXOPEDIA – News on the Latest Measles Outbreaks of 2019
- CDC – Measles Vaccination
- MMR ACIP Vaccine Recommendations (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)
- Ask the Experts about Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccines
- Unaware he had measles, a man traveled from N.Y. to Michigan, infecting 39 people
- Measles Victim Calls For Mass Vaccination Events in Frum Communities Worldwide