Health
Physicians should consider early measles vaccine for traveling babies
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 16, 2004
Infants ages 6 to 12 months who are traveling to measles-endemic countries should be vaccinated against the disease, according to a paper published in a January issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
In general, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices does not recommend the first dose until a child is ages 12 to 15 months. However, this specific recommendation was made because of a measles outbreak in Alabama in October 2002 triggered by a 9-month old who traveled to the Philippines. The child returned with the infection and transmitted it to 10 other infants at a day-care center as well as to two adults.
The report also recommended that health care workers should ensure they have received the measles vaccine and that physicians should suspect measles in cases of fever accompanied by rash.
A nurse who had never been vaccinated was one of two adults sickened during the outbreak, and detection of the outbreak was delayed because the first case was initially diagnosed as dengue fever.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/02/16/hlbf0216.htm.
