Does Anyone Need a Measles Booster?
For most people who have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, there is no need for a measles booster shot, says Deborah Fuller, PhD, a professor of microbiology and a vaccine researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
But there are some groups who could benefit. Dr. Fuller says you should talk to your healthcare provider about a booster if:
- You’ve only had one measles shot. A second dose is particularly important for healthcare workers, college students, some people with HIV, and people close to anyone with a compromised immune system. (Immunocompromised people themselves may not be eligible for vaccination.)
- You were vaccinated between 1968 and 1989. “There may be some gap in immunity, as during that time only one dose was recommended,” says Catherine Troisi, PhD, a professor of management, policy, and community health and epidemiology at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.
- You were vaccinated between 1963 and 1967. During these years, some vaccines used an inactive virus, which was not as effective as the current vaccine, which is a live, attenuated (weakened) type. Dr. Troisi says that, to be safe, adults in this group should get at least one booster with the current vaccine.
Why Measles Vaccination Matters
Dr. Chin-Hong says measles can lead to some very serious health issues, including pneumonia (a severe lung infection) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), which can cause disability and long-term complications.
Even a mild case of measles can lead to lingering damage to the immune system known as immune amnesia, making a person more vulnerable to other diseases, ranging from flu to tuberculosis.
“It is measles’ impact of causing long-lasting immunosuppression that gives me the most pause, and is perhaps the most invisible and not easily captured in metrics,” Chin-Hong says. Having a weakened immune system raises the risk of other infections and even death, “months to years after the original measles diagnosis.”
Declining Vaccination Is Driving Measles Outbreaks
The situation could improve if more Americans would get the measles vaccine. “When almost everyone gets vaccinated, you can eliminate measles transmission in a country, and that’s a big deal,” says Adam Ratner, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and a member of the committee on infectious diseases at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Experts largely attribute the ongoing surge in measles to a steady decline in the number of children getting vaccinated.
“We’ve had confusing messaging from the federal government and changes to the vaccine schedule that are not based on science, and I think that that has confused parents and made people more likely to opt out of vaccination,” says Dr. Ratner.
