That department head, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sorta-kinda acknowledged that vaccines have a role in preventing measles. This opinion piece that appeared under his name at Fox News carefully weaseled around the needed vaccine messages, saying that parents “should consult with their healthcare providers to understand their options” about the vaccine, and that “Good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses.” Kennedy previously led an anti-vaccine propaganda organization that spread misinformation so egregious it got kicked off of Facebook.
While public health authorities in Texas and elsewhere are doing their best to contain the latest outbreaks, RFK Jr. is going on Fox News talking up the "benefits" of measles infection and making the vaccine sound as bad as the disease. So, with the people in charge of the measles response sending mixed messages, I want to make sure the correct information is getting out there. So here’s what you should know about measles and the measles vaccine.
There are two types of measles vaccine available: the MMR vaccine that provides protection against measles, mumps, and rubella; and the MMRV vaccine that covers those three plus varicella, better known as chicken pox.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known, and can be deadly
Is it worth vaccinating against measles? Yes, very much so. Anti-vaxxers like to point out that measles used to be a common childhood illness, which is true. But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Before vaccination was common, according to a 2013 report from the CDC’s vaccine advisory board, there were 500,000 cases of measles in the U.S. in a typical year. Those resulted in 500 deaths, 48,000 hospitalizations, and 1,000 cases of permanent brain damage from encephalitis.
Measles is so contagious that, after an infected person leaves a room, the air and surfaces in that room can infect people for the next two hours. This is why just avoiding sick people isn’t enough, and why authorities announce where and when a person with measles was known to be in public, like two Philadelphia children’s hospital locations on March 7 and 10. Anybody who visited those places at those times is being told to find out if they are protected from measles and to talk to their healthcare provider about getting the vaccine if appropriate.
He specifically called out encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can lead to death or brain damage. The measles vaccine causes 1-2 cases of encephalitis per one million children vaccinated. Measles, on the other hand, causes encephalitis in 1-3 out of every thousand children who get the disease, according to Encephalitis International. In other words, measles the disease has 1,000 times greater encephalitis risk compared to the vaccine.
The vaccine can be given after you’re exposed to the measles virus
The best time to get an MMR vaccine is when you’re young, at 12-15 months and 4-6 years old. The second best time, if you’ve just been exposed to measles, is now. A dose of the vaccine can be given within 72 hours of being exposed to the virus to provide last-minute protection.
After one dose of the MMR vaccine, you have a 93% chance of being protected against measles. After both recommended doses, that increases to 97%. This is exactly why two doses are recommended.
For the love of god, you do not want “natural” immunity
In the 1950s and earlier, natural immunity—from getting infected—was the only measles immunity we had. Everybody still got the disease, because children without any measles immunity were constantly being born. Eventually they’d encounter the virus, and get sick. As I discussed above, this was fine for most kids and catastrophic for some. Read Roald Dahl’s letter about losing his daughter to measles, if you haven’t already. She was healthy, and then she had a routine case of measles, and then she felt “all sleepy” one day, and shortly afterward, she was dead.
Which means, sorry, no measles parties. Or, as the Texas health department puts it, “No! DSHS strongly advises against intentionally exposing anyone to infectious diseases like measles.” As they correctly point out, you’d be risking severe complications and death for the attendees of the party, you can’t predict how severe the symptoms will be, and you’re creating a bunch of walking measles vectors who can then transmit the virus to the elderly, unvaccinated, and immunocompromised. Vaccination, on the other hand, provides protection for 97% of those who receive the vaccine, with far smaller risks of complications.
How to know if you need a measles vaccine
You can also assume you are immune if you have medical records saying that you got two doses of the measles vaccine, or that you had a laboratory-confirmed case of measles, or that you have had a blood test that confirms your immunity.
If you are in Texas, where the largest measles outbreak is currently occurring, this page from Texas Health and Human Services has information on staying safe, including where to get an MMR vaccine in Texas.
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