Amid measles uptick, health department encourages vaccination
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As travelers prepare to leave for spring break, health officials are reminding people about the importance of measles vaccinations after an uptick in cases across the country.
The Kent County Health Department said the measles vaccine is very effective, but it is closely watching the recent increase.
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Renee Koops and her family were traveling Wednesday to Florida through Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
“We’re comfortable with flying. We are up to date on our vaccines. We believe in vaccinating, especially with the measles,” Koops said.
Dr. Nirali Bora, the medical director of the Kent County Health Department, said the state is seeing an increase in measles cases.
“It is definitely something that we’re watching closely. So there have been several reported cases of measles in Michigan in 2024, and so we are definitely keeping an alert and paying attention to what we see locally as well,” Bora said.
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Bora said a decline in vaccinations has led to more cases.
For those ages 4 to 6, the Michigan measles vaccination rate was just over 89% in 2017. By 2022, that number had dropped to 84%.
“So measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning we don’t have a constant presence of measles,” Bora explained. “We have definitely seen outbreaks. 2019 was a year when we saw many outbreaks and cases.”
Bora said the vaccine works well and is available.
“The MMR vaccine — the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, which children start at the age of 12 months for the first dose — is very effective,” Bora said. “It’s a two-dose vaccine series. The first dose in 93% effective. The second dose, with both doses, is 97% effective.”
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The health department is most concerned about the vulnerable and unvaccinated when containing the highly contagious virus.
“Those are the people who are going to be at greatest risk for getting measles if they travel either to an international location or a location in the United State where we’re seeing outbreaks happening,” Bora said.
In recent years, vaccine hesitancy has been a growing issue. And during the pandemic, measles vaccination rates dropped, especially in low-income countries around the world.
“People just weren’t able to get the standard immunizations that they normally would get because their healthcare clinic was closed,” Bora said.
If you’ve had two documented vaccine doses, you are considered protected. Bora said people who were born before 1957 are also considered to be immune.
To learn more about the virus and how to protect yourself, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
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