Thanks so much to the kind folks at the Coast Live for having me on the show to discuss such an important topic. The CDC notes that over 1,000 cases of measles in 28 states have been diagnosed in the U.S. this year, and these numbers continue to climb. These are likely as a result of international travel. If you are planning to travel internationally, the CDC recommends one MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine for 6 to 12 month old infants and two MMR vaccines (separated by at least 28 days) for those over 12 months. The MMR is routinely given at 12 months of age with a booster dose between the ages of 4 to 5 years.
Measles is a real problem in our world. Ten children each hour die as a result of a measles. It costs less than $2 to protect a child. Want more information on vaccine preventable disease in children? Shot@life is a grassroots advocacy campaign of the United Nations Foundation. Get more info by texting VACCINES to 738674. Consider donating to support their efforts.
I’ll be writing more on this topic for the July issue of the Tidewater Family Magazine (available soon).
Need more info on the U. S. measles outbreak? Check out today’s Coast Live: