Outbreaks Leave Adults Wondering About Vaccinations
“Adults who lack “evidence of immunity,” as the CDC calls it, and are in any group with a slightly elevated risk of encountering the virus should consider getting a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot.”
Measles outbreaks have occurred in 22 states and as a result, adults are wondering if they are immune to the measles virus, or whether they should get a measles booster vaccine. The alarming number of outbreaks, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has blamed as a deliberate misinformation campaign by anti-vaccine activists, has many Americans questioning they efficacy of the MMR vaccines they have previously received.
The CDC emphasizes that children are the most important group to reach since outbreaks spread rapidly in preschools and kindergartens, and young children often have infant siblings too young to get the vaccine.
Measles Virus Coming from Overseas
The vast majority of adults in this country are immune to the measles virus according to the CDC and other infectious disease experts. If they were not, the measles virus would have spread more rampantly through the United States in the last 18 years. The virus has been coming from overseas where countries are not inoculating against the measles virus.
While the United States has seen outbreaks in 22 states, the current tally of 704 confirmed cases is modest compared to recent outbreaks in some European countries. In 2018, France had 2,913 cases, Italy had 2,686, and Britain had 953, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the U.S., outbreaks over the past 20 years have largely been confined to schools, churches, religious sects or other groups with low immunization rates.
Some Adults Lack Evidence of Immunity
Adults who lack “evidence of immunity,” as the CDC calls it, and are in any group with a slightly elevated risk of encountering the virus should consider getting a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot, the CDC says. Evidence of immunity involves anyone that has had two doses of the MMR vaccine, or who was born before 1957 and had a bout of measles in that timeframe. Groups that have a slightly elevated risk of encountering the virus include health care workers, adults about to travel overseas, college students, and anyone living in a neighborhood or community now experiencing a measles outbreak. Vaccinating against the measles virus completely outweighs the risks of any type of MMR-related vaccine injury. Although MMR vaccine injuries (autoimmune disease or shoulder injuries) can definitely occur, such an incidence is rare.
Benefits Outweigh Costs of Vaccinations
At Green & Schafle LLC, we recommend that everyone follow the advice of their treating physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and vaccinate against deadly and contagious diseases whenever possible. While vaccines offer a tremendous benefit to society, autoimmune diseases and shoulder injuries can occur as a result of receiving a vaccine (most commonly the flu shot or influenza vaccine) from your employer.
We have skilled vaccine lawyers, licensed in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. who are ready to represent the interests of those in all 50 states. Our licensed vaccine attorneys have been representing vaccine-injured clients nationwide for the last decade and they are actively involved in the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association, the national organization dedicated to the representation of individuals with vaccine injuries.
Vaccine Injury Attorney
If you or someone you know needs a vaccine lawyer, please contact the licensed vaccine lawyers at Green & Schafle.
Currently, we have a licensed vaccine lawyer to handle your vaccine injury claim whether you live in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.
