Should you get an MMR booster right now?

Shooting from the hip in real time. Quick Boost #18

I’m just about to start my evening office hours, but I’m sending out this quick communication about measles and MMR boosters. With the first child dying in the current outbreak, I’ve received a flurry of calls and messages from patients. Add this tragic death of an unvaccinated child to the yearly toll:

• In 2023, there were an estimated 107,500 measles deaths globally, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of 5 years.

• Nearly 94 million of the estimated 154 million lives saved by vaccines since 1974 were a result of protection by measles vaccines.

• Texas Department of Public Health: “During a measles outbreak, about one in five people who get sick will need hospital care and one in 20 will develop pneumonia. Rarely, measles can lead to swelling of the brain and death. It can also cause pregnancy complications, such as premature birth and babies with low birth weight.”

I’ve reorganized but left unchanged the essential CDC guidance on vaccine considerations. The page seems accurate to me and free of political censorship/deletions:

Measles Vaccination Recommendations During an Outbreak

Who Needs Vaccination

• Adults born after 1957 who have never been vaccinated should get at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.

• High-risk adults should ensure they have received two doses (separated by at least 28 days):

  • College/university students

  • Healthcare workers

  • International travelers

  • Anyone determined by public health authorities to be at increased risk during the outbreak

Already Protected If You Have:

• Written documentation of appropriate vaccination for your age/risk level

• Laboratory confirmation of previous measles infection

• Laboratory confirmation of measles immunity

• Birth before 1957

Important Notes

• If unsure about your vaccination status, check your records or get vaccinated

• There is no harm in receiving another dose if you may already be immune

• Vaccination takes 2-3 weeks for full protection

• Two doses are about 97% effective; one dose is about 93% effective

• Even with vaccination, a small percentage may still get measles if exposed, but usually with milder symptoms and reduced transmission risk

Special Considerations

• Those who only received the killed measles vaccine (1963-1967) should be revaccinated with the current live vaccine.

Could I still get measles if I am fully vaccinated?

“Very few people—about 3 out of 100—who get two doses of measles vaccine will still get measles if exposed to the virus. Experts aren’t sure why. It could be that their immune systems didn’t respond as well as they should have to the vaccine. But the good news is, fully vaccinated people who get measles seem more likely to have a milder illness. And fully vaccinated people seem also less likely to spread the disease to other people, including people who can’t get vaccinated because they are too young or have weakened immune systems.”

~

Additional reading, additional Q/A : CHOP Vaccine Center, CDC, CDC, News

I’ll keep reading and following and updating — along with the rest of the evidence-based, mainstream medical crew. Hang in there, and know that this sort of thing is only going to happen more and more with poor leadership and bad choices.

I won’t have time to answer individual questions this time, gotta run, but I would instead point people to the above links if more detailed advice needed. And as they say “talk to your doctor.”

Addendum - here’s a really deep dive I banged out the next day on this whole subject.

Take care out there.