Today Health – Maggie Fox and Maren Shapiro
“Every parent knows the drill: the series of vaccines their kids start getting at birth, beginning with the hepatitis B vaccine. The outbreak of measles linked to Disneyland has millions of Americans looking at the vaccine schedule again — and wondering if their kids are protected. Here are some answers to your questions. Is my child protected? Any child born after 1999 should automatically have been given two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine starting at age 1. One dose makes 95 percent of patients immune to measles and the second dose, usually given at age 4 to 6, brings that up to 97-99 percent. Babies under the age of 1 probably haven’t had the vaccine because it doesn’t protect them very well. Older teens and young adults who are attending school, entering the military, or otherwise going into situations where they might be exposed to measles should check their immunization records to make sure they’ve had two doses.”(more)