Nebraska's Intelligent Vaccine Appreciation Strengthens Protection As Measles Returns | Health

Broderick Hansen went to the examination table last week at the Children's Medical Clinic at West Village Pointe to get an uncomplicated kindergarten vaccination.

Among them was a second dose of the vaccine that will protect the 4-year-old from measles, the once-extinct virus that is making a worrying return this year in parts of the United States, Europe, Asia and Europe. 'Africa.

He cried a bit when the crucial moment arrived, but quickly calmed down when he received his children's garden awards.

Mother Jennifer Hansen said she was not concerned about reports of recent outbreaks in the United States, as her three children's vaccinations are up to date. And she intends to continue like this.

"Although children do not like to be shot," she said, "it's important to protect them."

This is exactly the message that doctors and public health officials are encouraging us to listen to, both locally and nationally, as there is increasing concern that the control of the virus, which has been fiercely acquired, may be on the way. slipping.

Dr. Melissa St. Germain, vice-president of the Nebraska Branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the national organization has intensified the training of doctors in recent years to help them better manage vaccine reluctance. patients and their families.

Measles, she said, is one of the scary things, that it is extremely contagious and can lead to complications ranging from ear disease to brain inflammation in three out of ten people who get sick. In rare cases, it can be fatal for small children. And it can spread days before the onset of its revealing rash.

Nebraska has not reported any cases of measles this year. Localized outbreaks that have been reported in places such as New York, Michigan and Maryland have been attributed to infected travelers who spread the virus to island communities. A previous outbreak in Washington that had spread to Oregon was linked to late vaccination rates in this region. As of April 11, 555 cases had been confirmed this year in 20 states, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Iowa confirmed two cases last week, both from unvaccinated residents of northwestern Iowa. Previously, the last case of measles in Iowa had been reported in 2011.

Nebraska is one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. Nationally, the median coverage of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine among children entering kindergarten in 2017-18 was 94.3%. Nebraska came in at 96.2% and Iowa at 93%.

Dr. Tom Safranek, an epidemiologist in the state of Nebraska, said it was one of the main reasons the state avoided epidemics this year.

"I think the people of Nebraska have an intelligent understanding of the benefits of vaccines in general," he said. Although the coverage is not a "slam-dunk, 100%", he said, the hesitation with regard to vaccination seen in some other areas of the country has not been as widespread right here.

All states and Washington, DC, require vaccines for children who start school. All allow for medical exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Nebraska and Iowa are also among the 47 countries (with the exception of California, Mississippi and West Virginia) that allow for religious exemptions. However, neither state is among the 17 that allow for philosophical exemptions.

Nebraska's disengagement rate for religious reasons was 1.06% in 2017-18, with medical exemptions representing an additional 0.27%. The total Iowa withdrawal rate was 1.18%. At the national level, the number was 2.2%. This national figure marked an increase for the third year in a row, according to the CDC.

The parents seem to be watching, although they are not yet too worried, said several Omaha practitioners.

Broderick's pediatrician, St. Germain, said the only calls from parents to the West Village Pointe clinic asking if they needed to change their child's immunization schedule came from the medical community.

"People are attentive and that's good," said St. Germain.

Dr. Jason Bruce, pediatrician and associate medical director of primary care at Boys Town Pediatrics, said the parents had received a few calls from parents checking their child's immunization status.

The two pediatricians reported receiving more calls in 2015, when three measles cases were confirmed in Nebraska. One was related to an epidemic that had started in Disneyland California.

According to St. Germain, several families who planned to visit the resort that year requested early vaccinations for children under 1 year of age. Children usually receive their first measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and the second between 4 and 6 years old. But they can get them sooner.

Bruce said that infants six months of age and older should receive a dose if they travel abroad, although this does not count for their two doses. He and St. Germain said families might want to talk about early vaccination to their doctor if they knew they would be traveling to an area where outbreaks occurred.

A number of people who thought they had been exposed visited their doctor in 2017 after a sick traveler went to public places in eastern Nebraska, health officials said. 39; State. No one who was exposed contracted measles that year. However, health officials are working on prevention plans for such situations.

Physicians and other health officials also continue to stress the need for vaccination. For example, OneWorld Community Health Centers started sending reminders last week on social media.

Safranek said: "We invest heavily in our medical science business and when you come up with a great solution, it breaks your heart to see them underused."