SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Here’s what adults need to know about whether they need to get the measles vaccine as the nation experiences its biggest outbreak of the contagious disease in nearly 20 years.
What if you already had the measles?
If you’ve already had measles, your body has built up its immune system to fight the infection and you can’t get measles again.
If you are vaccinated, it’s important to know if you got one or two shots.
Two shots provide lifetime protection from the measles virus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One dose provides protection for preschool age children and adults who will not be in a location at high risk of measles transmission. College students, healthcare workers and international travelers born after 1957 need a second shot if they are visiting a place where there is a high risk of transmission.
What to do if you don’t know if you were vaccinated or how many shots you received.
You don’t need to do anything if you were born before 1957. Most people in that age range were infected with measles and are presumed to be immune. The first measles vaccine did not become available until 1963. If you were born after 1957 and cannot find records showing you were vaccinated or are immune to measles, you should get vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. There is no harm in getting another MMR vaccine if you are already immune to measles. Another option is to have a doctor test your blood to see if you are immune.
How effective is the measles vaccine?
Two doses are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles if exposed to the virus. One dose is about 93 percent effective.
I’ve been exposed to someone who has measles. What should I do?
Call your doctor immediately. He or she can determine if you are immune to measles based on your age, vaccination record or laboratory evidence.
More than 700 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, the highest number since 2000. Most of those cases are concentrated in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and Rockland counties. No cases have been reported in Central New York.
Here are more answers from the CDC to questions about measles and vaccine.