Georgia’s vaccination rate too low to fully protect against spread of measles, health officials say

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – At a press conference last Friday, infectious disease expert Dr. Katrina Kretsinger warned that Georgia’s vaccination rate is too low to fully protect against the spread of measles.

Measles is very contagious. It spreads through the air when someone who is infected sneezes or coughs. Symptoms typically won’t show for 7-14 days. Symptoms include red spots, fever, cough, and red watery eyes, and can become severe if left untreated.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported three cases so far this year. The cases were an unvaccinated family in the metro Atlanta area, according to a press release. The family members were given a vaccine or antibodies. The symptoms are being monitored.

Robert Bednarczyk, professor of Global Health at Emory University, is monitoring Georgia’s cases and the West Texas measles outbreak. Texas officials report more than 120 cases since late January, most of them children. They confirm an unvaccinated child has died.

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“The problem with the measles virus is it is really good at being bad. It will find people who are not protected and it will make them sick,” said Bednarczyk. “It can be very serious. Oftentimes people think of it, you know, they picture a child with a skin rash, they might be coughing, a runny nose, but we don’t typically think of measles as being very severe.”

The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) comes in two doses. The Georgia Department of Public Health said it’s the best protection against the disease. One dose is 95% effective and two doses are 98% effective.

Vaccine hesitancy has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows almost 5% of Georgia kindergartners received exemptions for vaccines.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly questioned the science behind vaccines

On Wednesday, he was asked about the measles outbreak.

“We’re watching it,” Kennedy said. “We put out a post on it yesterday and we’re going to continue to follow it.”

If you show symptoms, you are asked not to go to a clinic, hospital or doctor’s office without calling first.

All suspected cases of measles should be reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health immediately.

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