I love Dr Wen, she provides information and advise without being preachy, hysterical or condescending. Here is some good information concerning measles, from the Washington Post.....
Who needs another measles vaccine dose? Answering your questions.
Angela from Wisconsin contracted the virus when she was 5. She recalls becoming so ill that she spent months in the hospital. She is living with permanent disabilities from it, including hearing loss and blindness. “I cannot express to you the rage I have when I hear people say that measles is a harmless disease,” she wrote.
Before widespread vaccination, measles caused 5 to 10 percent of profound hearing-loss cases in the United States. Worldwide, measles used to be a leading cause of blindness among children; as many as 60,000 a year lost sight because of the disease.
“In your column, you mentioned that measles can ‘wipe out the immune system’s memory of past illness,’” wrote Darryl from Virginia. “I heard it was the opposite. Did you mean that the vaccine wipes out your immune system?”
What Darryl had heard is, in fact, reversed. Contracting measles can impair the immune system through a phenomenon called immune amnesia. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine prevents infection and therefore stops individuals from losing their immune memory.
In 2019, an international group of researchers published a landmark study in the journal Science. They took blood samples from children before and after contracting measles. After measles infection, unvaccinated children lost 11 to 73 percent of the antibodies against other viral and bacterial diseases. Vaccinated children did not lose these antibodies.
The researchers later documented that children with immune amnesia can regain lost immunity, but this takes months or years. During that period, these kids are at elevated risk for contracting diseases, including ones they previously suffered or were vaccinated against. The possibility of immune amnesia is more reason to avoid measles infection through vaccination.
Bill from North Carolina, a pediatrician, says he is treating numerous children who fell behind in their immunization schedule. He asks: “Can you please remind your readers that it’s possible [for kids] to make up their shots?”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a recommended immunization schedule that describes which vaccines children should receive and by what age. Kids should get the first dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and the second when they are 4 to 6 years old. Those who missed one or both shots can and should make them up. The second dose can be given as soon as 28 days following the first dose.
Many readers wanted to know if they, as adults, need additional MMR shots. Anne from Massachusetts inquired how long immunity lasts; she had measles as a young child, but that was more than 80 years ago. Stephanie lives in Texas and is concerned about the outbreak in her state. “Should I try to get a booster dose for myself and my family?” she asked.
Both prior infection as well as MMR vaccination are thought to convey lifelong protection against measles. Anne should still have protection because of her childhood measles bout.
The answer is less straightforward for Stephanie. Whether she and her family should receive additional doses depends on their age and number of past vaccines.
Measles was so prevalent before 1957 that everyone born before then is presumed to have had the virus. Those who received two doses of the live attenuated measles vaccine, which became the norm in 1968, do not need a third.
But those who were born after 1957 and were vaccinated before 1968 should get revaccinated to receive the more effective vaccine. And people who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine should consider a second. One shot is 93 percent effective against measles; the second increases protection to 97 percent.
John from Maryland wonders why a measles outbreak should concern those who are vaccinated. “Everyone in my family is vaccinated. My grandchildren are grown. Is it really a big deal if other people choose to not jab their kids?”
Essentially, John is asking why we should care about the return of measles. Two reasons: Though 97 percent effectiveness against infection is high, it’s not perfect. Breakthrough infections are possible. The more virus there is in a community, the more likely someone who is fully vaccinated could contract it, too. This has already happened in Texas, where five of the people who were infected are vaccinated.
Second, many people cannot be vaccinated and would be at high risk if measles were circulating in their area. This includes newborns and individuals with severe immunocompromise. These people are most likely to become severely ill from measles. In other words, those who are capable of getting vaccinated have an obligation to do so to protect the vulnerable.
There are already many respiratory viruses that can cause significant illness in the United States. Measles used to be one of them. What a shame it would be if it returned as a threat and infected Americans — not just those who chose to be unvaccinated but also others who want to protect themselves but cannot.
Leana S. Wen, a Washington Post contributing columnist who writes the newsletter The Checkup with Dr. Wen, is an emergency physician, clinical associate professor at George Washington University and author of “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” Previously, she served as Baltimore’s health commissioner.
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