SACRAMENTO-
With cases of measles surfacing in California, FOX40 asked a pediatric infectious disease specialist some common questions about the disease. Below are portions of our conversation with with Dr. Dean Blumberg of UC Davis Health System.
Wasn’t measles eliminated in the United States?
“Well it pretty much was eliminated,” said Dr. Blumberg. “It was eliminated from indigenous transmission in the U.S. in the year 2000. And so we didn’t have any transmission in the U.S. in any communities unless there was an imported case.”
Measles is resurfacing in the U.S. through travelers from other countries where the disease is still common, and can be easily spread to children whose parents choose to not have them vaccinated, the doctor explained.
When do most people get vaccinated?
“The first dose should be 12 to 15 months of age,” Dr. Blumberg advised. “And then the second dose is routinely given 4 to 6 years of age. So by the time children enter school, they’ve had those two doses.”
Does the vaccination last a lifetime?
“Most adults are immune to measles one way or another,” explained the doctor. “Adults who were born before 1957, before the vaccine was widely available, when there was a lot of measles going around, they probably got measles already. For those adults who were born after ’57, they either got measles or they likely had at least one dose of the vaccine.”
One dose provides 95 percent immunity, Dr. Blumberg further explained. The second dose makes up for the 5 percent. And the immunity does last a lifetime.
“But if there are adults out there who aren’t certain if they’ve been vaccinated or not, I would encourage them to talk to their health care provider, and see if there’s any record of them being vaccinated,” said Dr. Blumberg. “And if not, they can be vaccinated. And if they’ve been vaccinated before and they’re immune, there’s no danger in getting an additional dose of vaccine.”
Health care workers are encouraged to provide proof of immunity in the form of a blood test or documentation.
In people who are not immune, how is the disease spread?
“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to mankind,” warned Dr. Blumberg, who went on to explain that it can easily be spread through coughing and sneezing. “Measles also can just be airborne, meaning that it can get into very small particle size, be suspended in the air, and it can stay that way for up to two hours. So a patient could be in this room with measles, and leave the room. You could come in an hour later, and you could still potentially get infected without direct face-to-face contact.”
What should someone do if they suspect a case?
“They should call their health care provider and let them know that the child has fever and a rash,” the doctor advised. “The health care provider doesn’t want that child mingling with other kids in the waiting room because infection might occur in the waiting room. So they’ll make arrangements to make sure that that kid is seen in isolation.”
According to Dr. Blumberg, two out of every 1,000 measles cases in the U.S. result in death, so the disease should be taken very seriously.
The distinctive red rash associated with measles typically starts near the hairline, then spreads to the face, then the rest of the body.
