OHS advises measles vaccine for kids, adults with unknown status

Olney Hamilton Hospital alerted the community to get vaccinated against the measles, in light of an outbreak that has affected more than 150 people in West Texas and has killed one child.

“In regard to vaccine status, adults born after 1957 with KNOWN vaccinations with the live virus (begun in 1968) do not need to revaccinate,” OHH vaccine coordinator Krissa McCarson Glaze said in an email. “Any other adult of any age with an undocumented or unknown MMR vaccine status should receive at least 1 dose of the live MMR vaccine.”

Most of the people suffering from measles in Gaines, Lubbock, Lunn, Martin, Terry and Yoakum County were unvaccinated, according to statistics provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services [DSHS on Feb. 28.

The outbreak began in late January among a group of unvaccinated school-aged children in Gaines County, the DSHS said.

“You have the power to protect your child. Provide children with safe and long-lasting protection against measles by making sure they get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine according to [the Center for Disease Control’s] recommended immunization schedule,” OHH posted on its Facebook Page.

Health officials recommend vaccinating children at 12 to 15 months with one dose and another at 4 to 6 years.

Children too young to be vaccinated are more likely to have severe complications if they get infected with the measles virus, the DSHS said.

The hospital also urged people born after 1957 and vaccinated before 1968 to receive a measles booster of the live attenuated virus Measles symptoms typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes and a rash that breaks out 3-5 days after symptoms begin.

About 1 in 4 people who get measles will be hospitalized, and 1 out of 1,000 measles sufferers will develop brain swelling that can lead to brain damage, OHH said in the post.

One or 2 out of 1,000 people who contract measles will die, even with the best care, the hospital said. The Olney Family Clinic has the MMR vaccine on hand, hospital officials said.

For more detailed information about measles and who does and does not need the MMR vaccine, go to www.cdc.gov/ measles.