Do adults need a booster shot against measles as the epidemic develops? Your vaccine responds



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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – This is what adults need to know about whether or not they should be vaccinated against measles, as the country is experiencing its largest outbreak of contagious disease in nearly 20 years.

And if you already had measles?

If you have ever had measles, your body has developed its immune system to fight infection and you can never get measles.

If you are vaccinated, it is important to know if you have one or two injections.

According to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, two vaccines protect the measles virus for life. One dose protects children and preschool adults who will not be at high risk of measles transmission. Students, health professionals and international travelers born after 1957 need a second shot if they travel to a place where the risk of transmission is high.

What to do if you do not know if you have been vaccinated or how many vaccines you have received.

You should not do anything if you were born before 1957. Most people of this age have been infected with measles and are presumed immune. The first measles vaccine is only available in 1963. If you were born after 1957 and you can not find records showing that you have been immunized or are immunized against measles, you must get vaccinated with the vaccine measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). If you are already immunized against measles, there is no harm in getting another MMR vaccine. Another option is to have your blood tested by a doctor to see if you are immune.

What is the effectiveness of measles vaccine?

Two doses are about 97% effective in preventing measles if exposed to the virus. One dose is effective at about 93%.

I have been exposed to a person with measles. What should I do?

Call your doctor immediately. He or she can determine if you are immunized against measles based on your age, vaccination history or laboratory data.

More than 700 cases of measles have been reported nationally this year, the highest number since 2000. Most of these cases are concentrated in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland Counties. No cases have been reported in central New York.

Here are more CDC responses to questions about measles and the vaccine.

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