How to know if you need a measles vaccine
Miscellaneous / / April 17, 2023
According to Gemotest, 72% of Russians do not have immunity to this disease.
Why get vaccinated against measles
Measles is a viral disease that often occurs in children. It starts like SARS - with fever, runny nose and cough. After that, red spots appear in the mouth with a white center, and then the rash spreads over the entire skin.
Measles often causes complications that lead to disability or death. For example, it affects the brain (measles encephalitis). At the same time, measles is an incredibly contagious disease. So, you can pick it up if you go into the elevator after the infected one.
Flash can be compared to a fire: among the unvaccinated, the virus spreads with great speed. To avoid such situations, 95% of the population should have immunity.
When is the measles vaccine given?
First introduction of measles, rubella and mumps vaccine it should be at 12 months. The second - before school, at 6 years old. If necessary, adults can also be vaccinated.
Infants are injected into the thigh, children - into the shoulder, adults - into the shoulder or under the shoulder blade. There are no traces left after that.
If you have been fully vaccinated, most likely immunity you will have for the rest of your life.
How to know if you have been vaccinated against measles
There are two ways: easier and harder.
View on the map
All information about vaccinations remain in the map. From the children's polyclinic, information about vaccination is transmitted to the adult, and this data must be stored throughout life.
In reality, it happens in different ways, so it is not always possible to find the necessary information. For such cases, there is a second way.
Get tested for antibodies
Immunoglobulins IgG appear in the blood a month after vaccination or illness and remain there for decades. Therefore, by their number it will be possible to assess how strong the immune system is.
An antibody test can be taken at a private clinic. Another option is to try to get a referral from a therapist, but it's hard to say who is eligible for the study. CHI: there are no criteria in general access, it all depends on the institution.
Which adults should be vaccinated against measles?
It is considered necessary necessary get vaccinated if you have not been ill, have not been vaccinated, or have received only one vaccine and at the same time:
- you are under 35 years old;
- you are under 55 years old, but you belong to a risk group - you are a health worker, an employee in the field of food, trade, social services, a teacher or educator, a shift worker, a communal worker, a customs officer or a representative of another profession with medical book;
- you have been in contact with someone who has measles.
In such cases, vaccination can be do it for free in your clinic.
Other adults do not usually need to be vaccinated. But sometimes immunity weakens, so you can independently take an analysis for antibodies and get vaccinated if they are suddenly not enough. It is worth getting confused, for example, before pregnancy. So you protect not only to yourself and the developing fetus, but also pass on the antibodies to the baby during feeding. They will protect him until the first vaccination.
What are the complications of the measles vaccine?
The measles vaccine is usually well tolerated. But occasionally may complications appear:
- temperature increase;
- pain at the injection site;
- mild rash;
- temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, especially in teenagers and young women;
- swelling of the face or neck;
- a slight decrease in the level platelets.
In 1988 in the largest medical journal The Lancet published a fraudulent study that linked measles, mumps, and rubella vaccinations to the development of autism. Like, the diagnosis is often made at the same age at which children receive this vaccine and DPT (for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus), which means that this is the reason. But "after" is not the same as "due to", it's just a coincidence. At the same age, children often begin to walk and talk, but no one assumes that these skills have developed due to vaccination.
The study was debunked many times, but managed to do a lot of harm: vaccination rates dropped dramatically, and the incidence of measles rose. In 2010, the article was officially recalled, and the author was forever banned from practicing medicine.
Vaccines do not cause autism.
Who does not need to be vaccinated against measles
Revaccination not requiredif you have had two vaccinations or if you have had measles. For example, it is believed that all those born before 1957 are likely to have had the disease and do not need to be vaccinated.
Also, do not get vaccinated if:
- there were cases of severe allergies, including vaccines;
- the woman is pregnant or may be pregnant;
- have immunodeficiency conditions, such as HIV or a condition after chemotherapy;
- parents, brothers or sisters have diseases of the immune system;
- have recently had bleeding;
- a person has tuberculosis;
- less than a month has passed since any other vaccination;
- now there are signs of SARS, an exacerbation of a chronic disease or poor health.
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- What tests and vaccinations are needed at different periods of life
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- Why do we need a national vaccination calendar and what is included in it
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- How infections are transmitted and which ones are especially dangerous