Why You Shouldn't Listen to Vinay Prasad Talk About Measles Booster Shots.

And a lot of other things...

Do you ever notice that the only folks talking about people being paranoid about measles or about some measles panic are the ones that are working real hard to create that panic?

Why do these types of folks block anyone and everyone who might disagree with them?

So while many people are working to educate everyone about their risks of getting sick, with the rise of measles cases, and how to protect themselves, you have folks like Vinay Prasad trying to downplay everything.

They want you to think the only risk is being paranoid about getting sick!

After all, how hard is it to check your immunization records to make sure you have had two doses of the MMR vaccine and are protected?

A check that is actually pretty important, as we only started giving the second dose of MMR in 1990, and even then, it was when kids were turning four years old. So if you were born before 1986, there is a good chance that you might have had only one dose of MMR unless you got caught up later for some reason.

Personally, I got my second dose of a measles containing vaccine in 1990, but it wasn’t because I was turning four. It was when I entered medical school.

So yes, even if you didn’t enter kindergarten after 1990, there are many reasons why you might have gotten a second dose of MMR already.

Still, there has never been a general catch up plan for adults to make sure everyone has had two MMR shots. And if you aren’t high risk, the recommendation, surprisingly, is that adults still only need one dose…

Reasons People Get a Second Dose of MMR

Now if, like Vinay Prasad, you think it is too big a deal to check your immunization records, at least consider if:

• you were born before 1957 and probably had measles. Did you?

• you were born after around 1957 (so probably didn’t have measles), but before 1967, when we started to give the first live measles vaccines that were really consider to be effective. The measles vaccines given between 1963 and 1967 are considered to be ineffective and should be repeated.

• you were born after around 1967, but before 1986, as kids born after 1986 would have gotten a second dose of MMR when they turned four years old once the new recommendations started in 1990

• you were born after around 1967 and graduated high-school before 1998, when there was a recommendation to catch up all kids in school with a second dose of MMR

• you were born after around 1967 and started any kind of post-secondary school, including college and technical school, before 1989, as a second dose of MMR was required before entry to most institutions beginning in 1989.

• you were born after around 1967 and started working in a hospital after 1989 and had direct patient contact, as evidence of measles immunity was typically a requirement for these medical personnel.

• you were a health-care worker (medical or nonmedical, paid or volunteer, full- or part-time, student or nonstudent, with or without patient-care responsibilities) after 1998, when a requirement for two doses of MMR was announced

So, have you had two doses of MMR?

Are You at Risk to Be Exposed to Measles?

If you still don’t know, there are some circumstances in which it would be important to check, no matter what Vinay Prasad might think.

Are you traveling out of the United States? There are even more measles cases and outbreaks in many other countries you might visit!

Do you live in an area where you are at risk to be exposed to someone with measles?

If you are at risk to be exposed to someone with measles, you would think that you would want to know if you have had two doses of an MMR vaccine, right?

It has nothing to do with being paranoid.

It’s about being smart, taking precautions, and staying healthy.

And with measles cases popping up in so many states, this would be a good time to check and see if you have had two doses of the MMR vaccine!

If you haven’t, especially if you are at high risk to be exposed to measles, or if you simply want the extra protection, make sure you have had two doses of the MMR vaccine.

References

Measles prevention : recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP). MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. 1989; 38 Suppl 9:1-18. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/7476

Measles, mumps, and rubella--vaccine use and strategies for elimination of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome and control of mumps: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 1998; 47(RR-8):1-57. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/7504