Vaccinations Prevent Measles

There are many things I worry about these days, but high on my list is the possibility of measles showing up in our community. Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease that has recently resulted in the death of one child in Texas and dozens of kids being hospitalized. One case has been reported in Washington State.

If one child with measles sits in a classroom with unvaccinated classmates, the majority of the kids in the room will come down with the disease.

Unfortunately, the vaccination rates of children on the Key Peninsula are lower than they should be, well below the 95% required for the “herd immunity” protection suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For years, the incidence of measles in the U.S. has been so low that many communities got by without cases, and a generation of physicians have never seen one. The last one I saw on the KP was in 1982. But that has potentially changed, and now our families are at risk.

The solution is vaccinations for KP kids. The measles vaccine is safe, 97% effective, and available at two clinics on the KP.

Before 1957, virtually everyone had measles as a child, so those of us born before 1957 are presumed to have had it, and vaccinations for this age group are generally not necessary. If you received the vaccination between 1963 and 1967, that was a different vaccine, and revaccination is recommended. Infants typically get the measles vaccine as part of the MMR vaccine at around 1 year of age and a booster shot at 4 years. If you or your child didn’t get the booster, get it now. If you are unsure, your doctor can look at the state registry and see what vaccinations are needed for them.

State-sponsored vaccines are available at both the Community Health Care Key Medical Center in Key Center (253-884-9221) and Peninsula Community Health Services Key Peninsula Clinic on the KP Highway at 11901 137th Avenue NW (360-377-3776). Your child will need to register with the clinic, but both have the vaccine and have plans for kids that cover the expense to remove any financial burden.

Please take the time to update your child’s MMR vaccine before we see new cases of measles in our community and give this old, retired doctor one less thing to worry about.