cdc.gov
in the early 90s i would have a lot of moms bring in their kids with rashes because they were worried their child had the measles
well
i would say
now
i have never seen a case of measles
then for the next 10 years i was in practice i never saw a case of measles
so
i started medical school in 1978 then stopped practicing in 2010 so for 32 years of practice i never saw a case of measles
as a student i had to tour a pediatric long term care facility and saw a teenager who was bedridden for years after having measles encephalitis which left her with severe brain damage
imagine having your teenage beautiful cheerleader daughter get struck down by a disease that was preventable
measles was rare or non existent in the early 2000s in the us
it had an upsurge in the early 1990s such that there were close to 50,000 in the us
in europe so far this year there have been over 30,000 cases of measles
remember that the measles germ is just less than one days travel from anywhere in the world
its highly contagious
when you look at this map linked here and the county links you see pockets of measles
why
most are areas where there are increased pockets of unvaccinated folks
the worst is the northeast areas and northwest areas and texas and california
why would someone get measles
first
the first shot gives you 93% immunity
the second shot gives you 97% immunity
that leaves 3% of folks who got the shot are not immune against measles
second
they didnt get immunized for religious or personal preference
third
they are immunosuppressed
eg
like our grandson mr h who has chronic renal failure and is on steroids
like folks on chemotherapy or immunosuppressive drugs
like folks who have transplants
like folks with hiv or cancer
like pregnant women
fourth
they are younger than 12 months of age
the first shot isnt given until 12 months of age
the mom gives their baby immunity if the mom got the shots and the shots worked
that moms immunity is transferred to the baby which has the immunity until 1 year old
some babies though can start losing their immunity early which makes them susceptible to getting measles if they get exposed before 12 months of age
there is no treatment for measles it has to run its course
the four worse side effects are death severe brain damage pneumonia and deafness
its unlikely your doctor if you see one for the rash and symptoms that might be measles has ever seen a case of measles
like me
it can kill those who are immunosuppressed like those above and infants and elderly
who should get the measles shot
all kids over one year should get the measles shots if they havent had them
all babies after 6 months if they live in an area of a measles outbreak may need one
they then get the one at 12 months and later at 4-6 years old
if you go to this link and look at the recommendations for international travelers thats the recommendation for folks at risk in areas where there are cases in the us
also this link gives a good description also of who needs extra shots of measles vaccine
there is a blood test that one can do that will verify if you are immune or not
your insurance may or may not pay for it
also if you do opt for the second immunization if you only got one shot your insurance may or may not pay for it
so in summary
your doctor probably hasnt seen measles before
many of your may not be immune even though you got your shots
probably ?10% of you
the blood test will give you the answer as to whether you need a shot or not
if you are born before 1957 you are ok
if you had the measles thats my group you are ok
if you are immunosuppressed for any reason even if you had the shots you are susceptible
there is no treatment
the cdc website will always have the most accurate info on all this
get your shots if you havent had them before since some of us are at risk
mr h will thank you for it
the organicgreen doctor
thanks!
ReplyDelete