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While the number of measles cases in the United States has increased, some officials encourage parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible. Normally, children receive their first measles, mumps and rubella vaccine around the age of 1, but given the increased number of cases, babies in regions affected by ongoing measles outbreaks could be able to do it sooner to keep a few. the youngest and most vulnerable members of these communities in complete safety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that the number of people infected with measles in the United States continues to increase, reaching 704 from April 26. This is the highest number of cases since 1994, and there are still eight months to 2019 for this number to increase. The CDC accuses misinformation about vaccines to lead to under-vaccination, which has allowed measles to spread during recent outbreaks. The vast majority of cases of this most recent outbreak were in communities with low immunization rates.
Young children, babies, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk of complications from the incredibly contagious virus. This is why health officials are doing everything in their power to encourage people living in areas affected by the measles outbreak to be vaccinated, including by sometimes lowering the recommended age of vaccination.
In New York, where hundreds of measles cases have been observed since last fall, the Ministry of Health has allowed doctors to lower the vaccination age to six months in outbreak areas, according to Erin Silk, spokesman for the department. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered everyone, including babies as young as six months old, to be vaccinated against measles. The measles vaccine is safe and effective, despite the deeply held myth that vaccines cause autism. An additional vaccine against measles at six months is also very safe, according to Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. This is simply not the norm because, in typical circumstances, without an outbreak, the vaccine may not be as effective for babies as young people. "However, some babies could still benefit from early vaccination during a real measles outbreak," he said in an e-mail to The edge.
Vaccines can help protect people from infections by essentially giving the immune system a workout against a weaker opponent. The MMR vaccine, for example, contains weakened versions of live viruses. By fighting them, the immune system remembers how to react if these viruses attacked thoroughly. "The goal is to induce an immune response that is the product of a natural infection, without having to pay the price of a natural infection," says Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital. from Philadelphia.
Babies are born with passive immunity in the form of antibodies they receive from their mothers. After delivery and before they get used, these antibodies help protect the infant during its first few months. The timing may vary from one baby to another – some are protected for more than six months, others less. But if these antibodies are still present when the baby gets his measles vaccine, they can also be absorbed by the measles vaccine itself and neutralize it, thus preventing it from provoking a sufficient immune response to protect the baby in the short or long term. long-term. That's why doctors recommend the first dose of measles vaccine when they do. But in epidemics, that can change.
Additional protection may be needed during outbreaks where many babies might be exposed. According to Kristen Nordlund, a spokesperson for the CDC, public health authorities may recommend adding an earlier dose to babies as young as six months old. The recommendation is that these children be revaccinated at approximately 1 year of age and receive the next dose between 4 and 6 years of age, according to the CDC. Since the outbreaks of measles in the United States originated from people who have visited other countries, the CDC also recommends, in its recent update on measles, that children over the age of six months receive a dose of the MMR vaccine and adults are sure to receive a second before traveling outside the United States. Hotez suggests that all parents with questions should talk to their child's pediatrician.
Make sure everyone who can be vaccinated is Vaccinated is the best way to prevent the virus from gaining ground in the United States, according to the CDC. As CDC Director Robert Redfield said Monday in a statement: "Vaccines are safe. Vaccines do not cause autism. Vaccine-preventable diseases are dangerous.
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