New cases of measles are continuing to be reported across the U.S., and that’s sure to cause concern for many parents.
In February, a child, who was unvaccinated, died from measles in Texas. It’s the first measles-related death reported since 2015. On March 25, the Ohio Department of Health announced a measles outbreak in Ashtabula County, with 10 identified measles cases.
So, what can parents do to help keep their little ones safe?
“When we look at all the kids who are getting measles, both now and in all the previous years, the vast majority of them are not vaccinated or only have one vaccine,” says Dr. Frank Esper, pediatric infectious disease specialist for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. “It is very rare for you to actually see a child who received both doses of the vaccine to actually get measles.”
He says that’s why they strongly encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated.
The measles vaccine was developed back in the 1960s and is now given as part of the MMR vaccine. The MMR vaccine provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella –all three are highly contagious viruses.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children should receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine between the ages of 12 and 15 months. They should receive a second dose between the ages of 4 and 6 years old.
Esper adds MMR vaccine isn’t just important for self-protection but also for others who are unable to receive it, like babies under the age of 12 months old.
“There are some people who can’t receive the vaccine because they’re im- mune compromised or they’re allergic to a component of the vaccine,” he says. “And for those people, they really depend on all of us to be vaccinated to protect them. It’s called a ring of protection, so that if there’s a child in the house who can’t receive the vaccine because they’re receiving cancer chemotherapy, or they were born with
a weakened immune system, their other family members can all get vaccinated to protect that one child.”
Courtesy of the Cleveland Clinic, mychart.clevelandclinic.org
