The U.S. and North America are seeing a lot of measles action this year — like, seriously, a ton of cases popping up left and right. Hundreds of folks are getting sick with this super contagious virus in West Texas alone. And get this: less and less people are getting the vaccine, which is like 97 percent effective after a couple of doses. Schools and daycares are hotspots for these measles exposures, with three public schools in western North Dakota having an outbreak in early May that forced all unvaccinated students to stay home for 21 days under state law. Yikes.
How many cases are we talking about here? Well, most kids in the U.S. usually get vaccinated against measles before they even step foot into public school. But nowadays, more and more folks are opting out of the shots for religious or personal reasons, leading to outbreaks across the United States and beyond. So far, over 1,000 measles cases have been reported in 30 states since the beginning of the year, with 11 states dealing with full-blown outbreaks (that’s like three or more related cases, in case you were wondering). The biggest outbreak in the U.S. has been in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, with Mexico and Canada also facing some major outbreaks. It’s like measles is on a world tour or something.
So, what exactly is measles? It’s basically a respiratory disease caused by a super contagious virus that spreads like wildfire. Seriously, this thing can jump from one person to about 15 others in no time. Measles starts in the respiratory tract and then goes on a joyride throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash. The rash typically shows up three to five days after the first symptoms, starting as flat red spots on the face and then working its way down to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. And when that rash makes its grand entrance, the fever can skyrocket over 104 degrees. No fun.
Can measles be deadly? It’s not usually a killer, but it definitely can be. Common complications include ear infections and diarrhea, but about 1 in 5 unvaccinated Americans who catch measles end up in the hospital, according to the CDC. Pregnant women who skip the vaccine might have preterm births or low-birthweight babies. Among kids with measles, about 1 in 20 develops pneumonia, and about 1 in 1,000 deals with brain swelling known as encephalitis, which can lead to seizures, deafness, or intellectual disability. Children are hit the hardest, with pneumonia being a major cause of death in severe cases.
Alright, so how can you avoid measles? Simple: get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for kiddos between 12 and 15 months old, with the second one coming between 4 and 6 years old. Before the vaccine came around in the ’60s, everyone was getting measles left and right. The vaccine has been around for ages and has a solid track record of safety and effectiveness. So, any of these outbreaks we’re seeing now could totally be prevented if more folks got vaccinated. Seriously, if we can keep about 95 percent of the population vaccinated, we won’t have to deal with this mess in the future. But hey, we’ve fallen way below that mark in many parts of the country. Not cool.
Do you need a booster shot at some point? Well, usually not. If you’ve been vaccinated, you’re good to go for life. But if you’re worried about your immunity fading, health care providers can test for antibodies and give you a booster if necessary. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is totally harmless if you’re unsure about your immunity. And if you got a live measles vaccine back in the ’60s, you don’t need to get revaccinated. But if you got a less effective vaccine before 1968, it’s a good idea to get at least one dose of the MMR. People born before 1957 probably don’t need the shots because measles was so common back then that most folks have built-in immunity. So, if you live in an outbreak zone or have a higher risk of exposure, a booster might be a good idea. Better safe than sorry, right?
