It was officially declared eradicated 25 years ago, but health officials are standing up measles vaccination clinics in Texas. An outbreak of the highly contagious disease spread to nearly 60 people by midweek, with 13 ending up in the hospital. Wisconsin last saw a case of the measles last year in Dane County.
“Measles will always find a way,” said Dr. Tim Richer of Tosa Pediatrics. The Wauwatosa doctor tells WTMJ Wis. Morning News the current political climate has parents asking more questions about vaccines, and he has “zero” concerns about the safety of the MMR vax. Measles, mumps, and rubella are included in the 2-dose vaccine around since the early 1970’s. It is recommended for virtually all children. Richer says measles can be fatal, particularly for children. For those who are not vaccinated, it’s one of the most infectious diseases on the planet. “It spreads so easily. You think of how easy it is for your kids to get all these colds they’re getting, flu, now multiply that by a factor of ten.”
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While the measles vaccine is about 97 percent effective in preventing infection, the flu shot typically is far less so. This year it’s especially ineffective at preventing people from getting sick. “There are three strains in the vaccine this year and they’re close. They’re just not perfect. They rarely are. A great year is 75 percent,” Richer said. This year the vaccine has been about 35 percent effective at preventing flu.
The U.S. experiencing its worst flu in 15 years. All that said, Richer still recommends the flu shot. “If you don’t get the vaccine, you’re going to have a really, really bad week. A really bad week. Five days of fever and chills and wanting to curl up in a ball. The vaccine does shorten that, but this year I feel like it’s shortened it a bit less. I feel like, this year more than many, this year feels a little more unfair than it should for the vaccinated kids, because they’re still getting pretty sick.”
He also predicts another wave could be on the way. So far the majority of flu cases have been influenza A. “Influenza B is coming,” Richer warned.
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