Measles in Michigan

According to an article from the Detroit Free Press, "Washtenaw, Wayne county officials recommend vaccination amid potential measles exposures" by Jenna Prestininzi, 3/3/2024, measles has made its way to Washtenaw and Wayne County, Michigan:

"Those most at risk include those who are unvaccinated, those who don't know their immunization status, pregnant women and those who have a weakened immune system because of illness and diseases like HIV, malnutrition and/or medications."

"Common measles symptoms include:
    •    High fever (may spike to more than 104℉).
    •    Cough.
    •    Runny nose.
    •    Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis).
    •    Tiny white spots on the inner cheeks, gums and roof of mouth two to three days after symptoms begin.
    •    A rash that is red, raised, blotchy; often starts on face, spreads to the trunk, arms and legs three to five days after symptoms begin.

Anyone potentially exposed should get vaccinated against measles within 72 hours if not already immune, officials said. The MMR vaccine protects against measles, rumps [sic] and rubella, with two doses considered to provide immunity."

[I left the above typo in because news outlets that rely on spellcheck rather than actual human beings to check for errors deserve the embarrassment. Imagine if that had appeared in a headline - "The MMR vaccine protects against rumps". Maybe that would increase the vaccination rate?]

"Widespread measles vaccination greatly reduces the virus' spread, with one dose about 93% effective and two doses about 97% effective, according to the CDC. In Michigan, vaccine coverage for the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine for children 4 to 6 years old has fallen from 89.4% in 2017 to 84% in 2022. Among children ages 19-35 months old, vaccine coverage has dropped from 84.7% in April 2020 to 83.6% in December 2023, state health officials said."

Measles can be serious

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

"...Children younger than 5 years of age and adults older than 20 years of age are more likely to suffer from complications. Common complications are ear infections and diarrhea. Serious complications include pneumonia and encephalitis."

 Common complications:
    •    Ear infections occur in about one out of every 10 children with measles.
    •    Diarrhea is reported in less than one out of 10 people with measles.

Severe complications in children and adults

Some people may suffer from severe complications, such as pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). They may need to be hospitalized and could die.

Hospitalization. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles is hospitalized.

Pneumonia. As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.

Encephalitis. About 1 child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.

Death. Nearly 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications.

Complications during pregnancy. Measles may cause pregnant women who have not had the MMR vaccine to give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.

Long-term complications

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system that results from a measles virus infection acquired earlier in life...

Vaccine Safety from the CDC:

The Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine is very safe, and it is effective at preventing measles, mumps, and rubella. Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. Most people who get MMR vaccine do not have any serious problems with it. Getting MMR vaccine is much safer than getting measles, mumps, or rubella.

Common Side Effects of MMR Vaccine
    •    Sore arm from the shot
    •    Fever
    •    Mild rash
    •    Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, mostly in teenage or adult women who did not already have immunity to the rubella component of the vaccine 

MMR vaccine has been linked with a very small risk of febrile seizures (seizures or jerking caused by fever). Febrile seizures following MMR vaccination are rare and are not associated with any long-term effects. Because the risk of febrile seizures increases as infants get older, it is recommended that they get vaccinated as soon as recommended.

Some people may experience swelling in the cheeks or neck. MMR vaccine rarely causes a temporary low platelet count, which can cause a bleeding disorder that usually goes away without treatment and is not life threatening. 

Extremely rarely, a person may have a serious allergic reaction to MMR vaccine. Anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the antibiotic neomycin, or any other component of MMR vaccine, should not get the vaccine.

On the same CDC page, see Related Scientific Articles

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Deciding to vaccinate or not, seems to me, to be similar to deciding whether to use an antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection. A few people have serious and even life-threatening reactions to certain antibiotics. Weighing the alternative of living with a raging infection against the likelihood of a serious side-effect, most people come down on the side of taking the risk with an antibiotic. Included in weighing that risk is past experience with the medication and allergic reactions that have already been experienced.