Prevention of measles
Why prevent? |
Although measles is mild in 90 % of cases, it can cause potentially fatal complications, including encephalitis, as well as hospitalizations for pneumonia. As it is a very contagious disease, vaccination of a large part of the population (95%) is necessary to stop the circulation of the virus. |
Can we prevent? |
The best way to prevent measles is to be vaccinated and to have your children vaccinated. The vaccine is available in a combined form and provides effective protection against measles, mumps and rubella (“MMR” vaccine). Children should be given two doses, one at 12 months of age and the other between 13 and 24 months. A “catch-up” vaccination is also recommended in France for unvaccinated children over 2 years of age, adolescents and young adults unvaccinated at the age of 30, as well as healthcare professionals. In theory, the definitive eradication of measles in the world is possible, because the vaccine is very effective: it offers 90% protection after one dose and more than 95% after two doses.3. |
Basic preventive measures |
When a case of measles is diagnosed, it is the subject in France of a mandatory declaration by the doctor to the Health Watch Service of the Regional Health Agency. The patient must be isolated during the entire period of contagion, that is to say up to 5 days after the onset of the rash. In Quebec, cases are reported to the Surveillance and Watch Office of the Ministry of Health and Social Services. People who have been in contact with the patient can be vaccinated if they are not already. Depending on the case, they can also be given preventive treatment intravenously (based on immunoglobulins). This helps protect fragile people, especially pregnant women, unvaccinated children under 12 months or people with an immune deficiency.4. |
Remark : The drop in the rate of vaccination against the measles in recent years is partly explained by the belief that the MMR vaccine could make some children autistic, following the publication of a study by Dr. Wakefield in 1998. Since then, many studies have come to deny the existence of a association between MMR vaccination and autistic disorders5. In an opinion of January 28, 2010, the British General Medical Council, equivalent to the Council of the College of Physicians, denounced the lack of rigor and scientific credibility of Dr. Wakefiled’s study, as well as a breach of the medical ethics6. The journal The Lancet, in which this work was published, even deleted the article at the origin of the controversy. The entire scientific community agrees that there is no increased risk of becoming autistic following this vaccination.