Is it time to get a measles vaccine?
Experts have advised individuals on how to protect themselves and their children from measles as cases rise across the United States.
One of the most transmissible diseases in the world, measles is often challenging to control, according to a news article from NPR. Complications of the disease can include pneumonia and encephalitis — which can lead to deafness, disability or death.
Thus far, the outbreak has increased from 14 to 90 cases in West Texas over the past week, leaving kindergarten-age children susceptible to the disease as a result of the low rate of vaccination in the state. The experts stressed that because a large majority of the children with measles are unvaccinated, getting all children vaccinated may be critical to halting the spread of the disease. The measles vaccine is considered safe and effective and can provide lifetime protection among those who have received both doses.
However, adults who were born after 1957 and received their measles vaccines prior to 1968 may need to receive a measles booster vaccine because previous used vaccines utilized inactivated viruses that weren’t as effective as the live attenuated vaccines. Further, adults who received just one dose of the measles vaccine between 1968 and 1989 should also consider receiving a booster vaccine — particularly those in college settings, working in health care, traveling internationally or living in close contact with immunocompromised individuals.
Read more: NPR
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