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Odra cases are growing all over the world. Should children be vaccinated before?
Jun
Odra has been growing all over the world in recent years. Estimated 10.3 million cases around the world in 2023, an augment of 20% compared to 2022.
Explosions are reported all over the world, including in the United States, Europe and the West Pacific Region (including Australia). For example, Vietnam apparently he saw Thousands of cases in 2024 and 2025
IN Australia77 cases of measles were recorded in the first five months of 2025, compared to 57 cases in all 2024.
The cases of measles in Australia are almost all related to international travels. They occur in traveling returning from abroad or are contracted locally after mixing with an infected traveler or their contacts.
Measles most often affects children and you can prevent vaccination, given in Australia in two doses in 12 and 18 months. But in the lightweight of current epidemics around the world, is there a case of a vaccination time review from the Oder?
Some basics of the Odra
Measles is caused by a virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus. Symptoms include fevercough, runny nose and rash. Although in most cases it is a delicate disease, Odra can lead to a sedate disease that requires hospitalization and even death. Huge epidemics can be overwhelmed by healthcare systems.
Odra may have sedate health consequences such as in the brain AND Immune systemMany years after infection.
Measles spread from person to person through miniature respiratory drops that may remain suspended in the air for two hours. Is highly contagious – one person from the Odra can spread the infection 12-18 people who are not resistant.
Because the Odra is so infectious, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends Double vaccination coverage above 95% Stop the spread of “resistance to herds”.
Low and Falling vaccine coverEspecially since the Covid pandemic, it drives global explosions.
Read more: What are the symptoms of measles? How long does the vaccine last? Experts answer 6 key questions
When are the children vaccinated against the Odra?
Newborns are generally protected against measles thanks to the mother’s antibodies. Mother’s Antibodies Become passed from mother to child through the placenta and mother’s milk and provide protection against infections, including a distance.
. Which advises Everyone should receive two doses of vaccination of measles vaccination. In places where a lot of measles circulate, children are generally recommended for the first dose of about nine months. This is due to the fact that it was expected that mother’s antibodies would drop significantly at most infants at this age, exposing them to the infection.
If There are still antibodies against mother’s measlesThe vaccine is less likely that it causes an immune answer.
Studies also showed the given vaccine from the Oder in the age of less than 8.5 months It can cause an antibody response, which will fall faster. This may be due to the disruptions of motherly antibodies, but scientists are still trying to understand the causes of this.
AND Second dose Vaccines are usually administered 6-9 months later. The second dose is crucial because about 10-15% of children do not develop antibodies after the first vaccine.
In the settings where the Odra transmission is under better control, the first dose is recommended at the age of 12 months. It is believed that vaccination after 12 months compared to nine months stronger, longer immune response.
IN AustraliaChildren are routinely administered against the measles-mumps-tribute (MMR) after 12 months, and the roller-mumps-rabella-varicella (MMRV, with “chickenpox” is a miniature vaccine) after 18 months.
Infants with a higher risk of catching the disease can also be given Additional early dose. In Australia, this is recommended for infants at the age of six months, when there is an explosion or if they are Traveling abroad for high risk setting.
A fresh test looking at the measles antibodies in children
AND Last review He looked at the data of infant measles at the age of nine months living in low and medium income countries. The review combined the results of 20 studies, including over 8,000 children. Scientists have found that while 81% of newborns had mother’s antibodies in the Oder, only 30% of children aged four months had mother antibodies.
This study suggests that the maternal antibodies in the Oder fall much earlier than previously thought. The question raises the question of whether the first dose of the opposite vaccine is administered too tardy to maximize infant protection, especially when there is a lot of measles.
Should we introduce measles vaccine in Australia?
All data in this study comes from low and medium income countries and may not reflect the situation in Australia, where we have a much higher vaccine cover for the Oder and very few cases.
Australia covering two doses MMR vaccines at the age of two are over 92%.
Although this is lower than the optimal 95%, the overall risk of the Odra growth in Australia is relatively low.
Nevertheless, there may be a case of widening of the age at which the early dose of measles vaccine may be given to children at a higher risk. IN New ZealandInfants at the age of four months can receive measles vaccine before traveling to an endemic country.
But the current routine vaccination schedule in Australia is unlikely to change.
Adding an additional dose to the schedule would be steep and logistically challenging. Lowering First dose age It may have some advantages in some conditions and do not constitute any security problems, but further evidence would be necessary to support this change. In particular, you need research to make sure that this would not have a negative impact on the long -term protection offered by the Odra vaccination.
Make sure you are protected
In the meantime, ensuring a high level of covering the Odra vaccine with two doses is a global priority.
It is recommended that people born after 1966 have two doses of the opposite vaccine. This is because these Born before the mid -1960s He probably caught the Odra as children (when the vaccine was not yet available) and therefore it would have natural immunity.
If you are not sure about the condition of vaccinations, you can check it through Australian vaccination register. If you don’t have a documented record, ask your doctor for advice.
Vaccination for catching up It is available as part of the National Vaccination Program.
