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The measles virus is highly contagious and spreads easily. Spread by close personal

Protecting Children and Others During a Measles Outbreak

Dr. Marie GeorgePrint Story | Email Story

Once a common childhood disease, measles was almost an expected part of growing up. But it wasn't without consequence. Worldwide, up to 2.6 million people died annually from measles every year up until a vaccine was introduced in 1963.

In recent years, some parents have refused to vaccinate their children based on misinformation about side effects of the vaccine.  As a result, the number of unvaccinated children, teens and adults in our communities is on the rise. While those making the choice to not vaccinate believe they're making this decision solely on behalf of themselves or their children, they're actually impacting the health of others. Sometimes with deadly consequences.

How is it spread? Who is at risk?

The measles virus is highly contagious and spreads easily. Spread by close personal contact, coughing, or sneezing, the virus can remain active in the air or on a surface for up to two hours after it has been transmitted.

That means that any unvaccinated individual — including infants and those with compromised immune systems — can get sick when entering a space where an infected person was even hours before. Infected individuals can then go on to spread the illness days before they show any signs of the disease.

How to protect those at risk

Measles vaccines are by far the best possible protection you can give your child. Two doses are 97 percent effective and the potential side effects are rare and not nearly as scary as suggested by a lot of popular media. If they appear at all, side effects are usually a sore arm, a rash, or maybe a slight fever. Claims that the vaccine causes autism have been undeniably proven to be false.

As for when to get your child vaccinated, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Family Physicians all recommend children receive the measles vaccine at age 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years old. Children can receive the second dose earlier as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.

How about adults?

Because the risk of death from measles is higher for adults than it is for children, teens and adults who have not been vaccinated should take steps to protect themselves. "The vaccine can be provided in two doses within 28 days of each other. This is particularly important for those planning travel overseas or to areas in the United States where outbreaks are occurring.

Those who have received only one measles vaccine as a child or who are in a high-risk setting—like health care facilities or communities with outbreaks—should get a second vaccine. If you are uncertain of your status, reach out to your healthcare provider for information and advice. Whether or not you have adequate immunity can be determined with a simple blood test.

Dr. Marie George is a specialist in Infectious Disease at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt.





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Living with Wildlife: Bats in Your House?

Bats are everywhere!  It may feel that way to some of Vermont's human residents.  Summer is when some species of bats gather in colonies to raise their young in human-made structures such as houses, barns, office buildings, and bat houses.
 
"Summer is the time of year when the greatest number of unwanted bat-human interactions are reported," according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife's Small Mammals Biologist Alyssa Bennett, who works on the conservation and recovery of Vermont's threatened and endangered bat species.
 
"Bats can end up in your living space for many reasons, including young bats that are weak, disoriented or lost while coming and going from the roost, bats moving within a structure to find warmer or cooler roosting space as temperatures fluctuate, and bats being displaced from their roosts due to building repairs and renovations." 
 
Finding and sealing off holes on the inside of your home, such as around attic doors or chimney flues, will keep bats out of your living space and can be done any time of year.  However, during the summer when bats have flightless young, you should not attempt to seal holes on the outside of the house where bats come and go, a practice which can result in more bats in your bedroom at this time of year.
 
"Waking up to a bat flying in your bedroom or suddenly uncovering a dozen bats roosting behind a rotting trim board during home repairs can come as quite a shock," adds Bennett.  "But don't fear, because there are answers to your burning bat questions on Vermont Fish and Wildlife's website using the search term -- bats."
 
Living with wildlife means considering the health and wellbeing of both the public and these fragile wildlife species.  Although rarely detected in the general bat population, rabies is a deadly disease and should be taken very seriously. 
 
If you are concerned that you have been in direct contact with a bat, have found a bat in a bedroom while sleeping or in a room with an unattended child, a pet, a person with a cognitive disability, or an intoxicated person, please call the Rabies Hotline at 800-4RABIES (1-800-472-2437).  If the hotline staff or your health care providers determine there is no concern for rabies exposure, the bat can safely be released outside. 
 
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