Proquad Vaccine

Extensive Measles Outbreaks Reported in Africa

Don Hackett — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 19:55:21 +0000

Reviewer:

The U.S. CDC issued a new Travel Alert regarding measles outbreaks in various African countries.

In Africa, health officials in the countries listed below have reported measles outbreaks, meaning the number of confirmed measles cases is higher than normal.

The CDC says ‘keep in mind that destinations reporting measles outbreaks are not the only places where the infection is a risk. Locations, where measles is common, may have many cases, but not be considered to have an outbreak.’

The CDC’s Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions notice published on September 15, 2020, stated ‘All travelers to Africa, including infants and pre-school aged children, should be fully vaccinated against measles, according to CDC immunization schedules.’

Caused by a highly contagious virus, measles spreads from person to person by breathing, coughing, or sneezing. People can unintentionally spread measles up to 4 days before and 4 days after they have a rash.

Furthermore, measles can also spread in airports, on public transportation, and at tourist attractions. Thus, it is critical for travelers to be protected against measles, regardless of destination.

Moreover, measles infections can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, and even death.

Vaccination with a measles-containing vaccine is the best way to make sure that you are protected prior to traveling abroad, says the CDC.

There are two measles-containing vaccines available in the United States: measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) for those aged 6 months and older, and measles, mumps, rubella & varicella (MMRV) vaccine for children aged 1 through 12 years.

>>Check Measles Immunity<<

If you are 12 months of age or older you need 2-doses of measles vaccine to be fully protected. Infants 6 through 11 months of age should receive 1-dose of vaccine, though this dose does not count as the first dose in the routine childhood vaccination series.

The CDC added ‘You are also protected if you have laboratory confirmation of a past measles infection or if you were born before 1957.’

If you are not sure if you or your travel companions are fully protected against measles, schedule an appointment to see your healthcare provider at least 1-month before traveling so that you have enough time to get vaccinated.

Some people should not get a measles-containing vaccine or should wait. If you don’t think you can safely receive a measles-containing vaccine, talk to your doctor and consider making alternative travel plans, says the CDC.

The African countries list in this Level 1 Travel Alert are as follows:

Angola
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ethiopia
Guinea
Kenya
Liberia
Mali
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
South Sudan

An updated list of suggested Travel Vaccines is published by Vax-Before-Travel.

Vax-Before-Travel publishes research-based travel vaccination news.

Sub Title:

Travelers to Africa including children should be fully vaccinated against measles

References:

CDC: Measles in Africa

Travel Vaccines

M-M-R II Vaccine

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, measles, africa, mmr, international travel,

GoodRx Vaccine:

mmr

Featured:

Measles Outbreaks Could Occur in These States

Don Hackett — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 16:57:55 +0000

Reviewer:

Danielle Reiter, RN

Robert Carlson, MD

In recent years, a growing vaccine hesitancy movement has contributed to decreasing measles vaccination rates in Europe and the USA.

Even if a US state has an average vaccination rate approaching herd-immunity, about 95 percent, measles outbreaks can still occur if there exist localized communities with a high proportion of unvaccinated individuals, and, if the community is highly connected by travel to international regions experiencing large outbreaks, reported a study published in The Lancet on July 30, 2020.

In response to these persistent risk factors, these researchers expanded upon previous work to identify the set of US counties at the highest risk of measles outbreaks.

Multiple regions in California, Florida, New York, Washington, and Texas are identified as being of the highest risk of measles outbreaks, which is concordant with the 2019 outbreaks.

The risk to each county was computed with a multiplicative function of four factors: incidence rate of measles at travel origin, international air travel volume from each such origin to a US destination county, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates in the county, and county population.

Results from the model are illustrated in the figure in Appendix 1, which shows the percentage of the population unvaccinated for measles in each US county, the location and relative size of the reported measles outbreaks in 2019, the location of the 20 most visited airports in the USA, and the 30 counties at highest risk of measles outbreaks.

Of the 20 highest ranked counties, together they reported over 700 of the 1,276 confirmed cases in the USA. The model indicates the cities of Los Angeles (CA), Seattle (WA), Honolulu (HI), Miami (FL), and Santa Ana (CA) to be the 5 counties at highest risk.

As an example, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed a measles outbreak among 5 persons on February 5, 2020. This measles outbreak began when a measles infectious international visitor was visiting the greater Los Angeles area.

Furthermore, the Philippines, Samoa, Ukraine, New Zealand, and Israel are the countries of highest risk for measles importation to the USA.

The 4 air travel routes posing the highest risk of measles importation ended in Los Angeles and originated in the Philippines, Samoa, New Zealand, and Ukraine.

The top 100 US counties and travel routes are listed in Appendix 2.

Measles is considered among the most contagious viruses in the world. About 90 percent of people who have never been immunized against measles become ill 7-21 days after exposure.

Infected people can infect those around them before they have symptoms and know they are infected, says the U.S. CDC.

The CDC stresses MMR vaccinations prior to international travel.

Unfortunately, a Massachusetts General Hospital study published on December 9, 2019, found a large number of children traveling abroad are not protected from the measles virus. This study was published in JAMA Pediatrics and reported about 44 percent of MMR vaccination–eligible infants were not protected.

Besides the measles vaccines, the CDC encourages travelers to speak with a healthcare provider regarding other travel vaccines options.

Vax-Before-Travel publishes research-based international travel vaccination news.

Sub Title:

Measles outbreak risk increased in California, Florida, New York, Washington, and Texas

References:

Persistence of US measles risk due to vaccine hesitancy and outbreaks abroad

M-M-R II Vaccine

Image:

Google News Keywords:

health, vaccines, vaccinations, measles, mmr, measles vaccines, international travel and measles, travel vaccines,

GoodRx Vaccine:

mmr

Featured:

Coronavirus Hot-Spots Could Have Future Measles Outbreaks

Don Hackett — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 14:15:56 +0000

Reviewer:

Danielle Reiter, RN

Robert Carlson, MD

The findings of an extensive review published in JAMA indicate that ‘unvaccinated individuals continue to constitute the majority of cases in measles outbreaks.’

Published on August 14, 2020, this study suggests that a large and growing population may be susceptible to the measles virus if the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine coverage remains suboptimal, during the context of the COVID-19 disease pandemic.

A separate study published on June 28, 2020, found routine vaccination coverage has declined in all milestone age cohorts during 2020. For the 16‐month age cohort, coverage with all recommended vaccines declined, with measles‐containing vaccination coverage decreasing about 8%, from 76.1% in May 2019 to 70.9% in May 2020.

Data from previous measles outbreaks showed 10.6% of infected individuals had a history of receiving measles-containing vaccines, 75.5% had no history of vaccination, and 13.9% had unknown vaccination status.

From an availability perspective, various monitoring systems have already identified reductions in the number of doses of measles-containing vaccines that have been ordered.

As of May 15, 2020, the Vaccine Tracking System indicates a notable decrease in orders for measles-containing vaccines.

These changes in population-level measles susceptibility pose a risk for larger and wider future outbreaks that could have substantial immunologic and public health costs.

The JAMA researchers commented these findings have important implications for vaccine policy. Vaccine refusal is not the only reason but continues to be a significant reason for the reemergence of measles in the post-elimination era.

And, most measles outbreaks in the USA are directly related to international importation of measles by travelers who acquired measles in countries where the disease remains endemic.

As an example, the 2018-2019 measles outbreak in New York City, the largest such outbreak in the USA in nearly 30 years, was directly connected to international travelers and their under-vaccinate families.

‘Measles importation continues to be the precipitant of US measles outbreaks, but the proportion of imported cases has been steadily declining, indicating the increasing contribution of sustained domestic measles transmission.’

When considering resource allocation for immunization programs and practice, policymakers need to account for the individual- and population-level immunologic effects of measles resurgence, as well as the considerable public health resources required to investigate and control measles outbreaks.’

Furthermore, ‘policy tools proven to increase vaccine acceptance, such as increasing the difficulty of obtaining vaccine exemptions, as well as evidence-based communication and persuasion strategies, are needed to reduce the rates of vaccine refusal in the USA,’ concluded the JAMA study.

MMR vaccine discounts in the USA are sponsored by GoodRx.

PrecisionVaccinations publishes measles outbreak news.

Sub Title:

Pediatric MMR vaccinations have decreased during COVID19 pandemic

References:

Vaccine Refusal and Measles Outbreaks in the US

Routine childhood immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a benefit–risk analysis of health benefits versus excess

Decline in child vaccination coverage during the COVID‐19 pandemic — Michigan Care Improvement Registry, May 2016‐May 2020

Coronavirus Pandemic Disrupted Children’s Vaccinations

Image:

Age Groups:

12 months