MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin’s rising measles cases are raising concerns about declining childhood vaccination rates and the risks the highly contagious disease poses to infants.
Dr. Ben Weston, a professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and chief health policy adviser for Milwaukee County joined Wisconsin’s Midday News to discuss the outbreak and other developments in health care.
Weston said Wisconsin’s kindergarten measles vaccination rate is approximately 85%, leaving communities vulnerable to outbreaks. He noted that the two-dose measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is about 97% effective against measles.
Infants are particularly vulnerable because the first dose is typically administered between 12 and 16 months of age. Weston explained that vaccination may be recommended as early as 6 months in outbreak areas, although that early dose does not replace the routine vaccination series.
“That’s when we depend on our community to protect the youngest, most vulnerable by making sure folks around them are vaccinated,” Weston said.
“Measles is so incredibly contagious,” Weston said. “It results in this really high hospitalization level. One out of five… then it can lead to brain swelling and death as we’ve seen.”
Earlier this month, Wisconsin saw its first infant death due to measles in 36 years. It also saw its first case of mumps this week. Weston said while mumps is not as contagious or as deadly as measles, it can cause complications.
“It’s another reason to get vaccinated,” Weston said.
