ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida health officials on Tuesday confirmed the state’s first measles case in years, which could leave many wondering if they are safe from the contagious disease.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of the measles vaccine when you are a child. But if you had your shots administered 30 to 40 years ago, are you still safe?
News 6 looked for an expert at AdventHealth for the answer.
Dr. Vincent Hsu, who has more than two decades of experience studying infectious diseases and preventive medicine, works at the hospital and is also an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine, according to his biography.
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Hsu told News 6 that if you had your measles shots as a child, you do not need to worry about it now as an adult.
“If you’ve already had measles vaccine — and the CDC recommends two doses of vaccine when you were child — you are considered protected and immune for life, so there is not a need to get another booster,” Hsu said.
He said the reason for this is because the virus has not mutated throughout the years, unlike the flu. According to the CDC, measles became a major disease in the U.S. in 1912 and the vaccine that is still used ‘til this day began distribution across the country in 1968.
“Some vaccines need to be given annually because some of these viruses can mutate. But the measles virus has been the same measles virus that we’ve had for decades. And that hasn’t changed,” Hsu said.
All in all, Hsu said if you are having doubts about your vaccine status or immunity to the virus, head over to your doctor, as they can perform a test to answer some of those questions.
“If you’re not certain about your status, it is very important that you do see your doctor because your doctor can order some laboratory testing to see whether you have had measles or are immune to measles. It’s always a good idea to check with your doctor about that. But again, I can’t stress enough that the most important predictor of your protection is having received the measles vaccine,” Hsu said.