Doctors Say That People Born Before 1989 Might Need A Second Measles Vaccine

Young children receive two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine—one around age one, and another around age 4-6.

That second dose raises the vaccine effectiveness rate from 93-97%, meaning that those who have received both doses are very, very unlikely to contract measles.

This means that if you were born before 1989, your vaccine is only 93% effective rather than that 97%.

That means that even if you received your measles vaccine, you have a 7% chance of contracting the disease and/or spreading it to someone else.

This isn't just word of mouth.

The CDC has released a statement regarding the issue, and has provided a list of recommendations as to what you should do if you were born before 1989 and live in any of the five states currently experiencing a measles outbreak.

There's no harm in asking for a second dose, especially if there have been people infected in your neighborhood.

Can't find that piece of paper with your vaccination history? Neither can I. In that case, getting another dose of the MMR vaccine is a good idea not just for the prevention of measles, but for other diseases as well.

In that time span, the measles vaccine used a killed virus instead of a live virus, which makes the vaccine less likely to defend your body against the real thing.

If this applies to you, you're better off getting another vaccine.

Vaccines aren't just for your protection—they are there to protect the population. By getting vaccinated against measles, you lessen the chance of spreading it to those vulnerable enough to catch it.

Contracting measles also ups a child's risk for a whole host of other infectious diseases.

We have a responsibility to keep one another safe.