Opinion: How pediatricians like me are helping families stay calm and informed about measles — SkimNews
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- CHOP has administered more than 16,000 early second doses of the MMR vaccine since the outbreak began, with many parents seeking the doses to protect vulnerable infants, pregnant women and immunocompromised people around them.
- Pennsylvania has reported more than 1,300 measles cases, and 33% of them occurred in children.
- MMR vaccination routinely starts at 12-15 months of age with a second dose at 4-6 years, but the second dose can be administered as early as 28 days after the first.
- Measles can hospitalize 1 in 5 cases, according to the CDC, and cause 1-3 deaths per 1,000 cases; other complications include ear infections and diarrhea in 1 in 10, pneumonia in 1 in 20, brain swelling in 1 in 1,000 and “immune amnesia” that leaves children vulnerable to prior infections.
- Pediatricians should advise families, if possible, to avoid travel to outbreak areas, keep people with cough or cold symptoms away from unvaccinated children, and keep exposed, unvaccinated people home for 21 days because symptoms can appear 7-21 days after exposure.
- Pediatric offices should tell patients with possible measles exposure or symptoms to call before arriving so staff can separate infectious patients from vulnerable patients and expedite testing.
- Herd immunity is lost when community measles vaccination coverage falls below 95%, leaving people who cannot be vaccinated and those who love them most at risk; Katie Lockwood says the response should center on vaccination, not panic or major lifestyle changes.
Why it matters: For families protecting infants, pregnant people and immunocompromised patients, CHOP’s more than 16,000 early MMR doses add protection. The 21-day home rule for exposed, unvaccinated people and call-first clinic protocols also help keep infectious patients away from vulnerable patients without requiring broad lifestyle changes.
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