Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi, I was vaccinated as a kid growing up. However, received notice from work that my tier was negative and have to be vaccinated again...thought one and done.
I had to get vaccinated as an adult because I didn't have proof (documentation) that I had been vaccinated as a child and that was required in NY State when I started taking classed at a NY State university.
You should have had the disease, like I did. Both the German measles as well as the American variety- not to mention chicken pox and mumps.
I'm through with those diseases permanently.
Yep, and that is why going back to college (SUNY) in 90s they did not ask for my vax records. When I went to work in NYS public schools they did not ask me then either.
I myself had the diseases of measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and scarlet fever, which I have no proof of. I had DPT in 1949., records of which are long gone. Polio vax in school back in the 50s. No record of that. Back in 1969 I had a Small Pox vax for traveling overseas. That is it. Nothing since then. I have never had a Tetanus or any of the current vax that the CDC now says they "recommend" but not require.
You should have had the disease, like I did. Both the German measles as well as the American variety- not to mention chicken pox and mumps.
I'm through with those diseases permanently.
You're through with chickenpox permanently, yes, since the varicella-zoster virus is now living in your body permanently (and may re-erupt as shingles if your immune system weakens). But I wouldn't be so sure about the others.
Unlike chickenpox, the measles, rubella, and mumps viruses don't take up permanent residence in the human body. In the past before vaccines, "permanently immune" adults were getting repeat exposures to those viruses over the course of their lives via coming into contact with sick kids. They didn't come down with symptoms (and in most cases they never even realized they'd been exposed), but that contact with the virus boosted their immune response to it (sort of the natural version of a booster shot). But nowadays, just how often are they getting re-exposed? Pretty rarely. And memory B-cells have a finite lifespan of about 20 years. Depending on how long ago you came down with the diseases, and when your last natural exposure to each of those disease viruses was, you may not have many of those memory B-cells left. You may not be as immune as you think you are.
You're through with chickenpox permanently, yes, since the varicella-zoster virus is now living in your body permanently (and may re-erupt as shingles if your immune system weakens). But I wouldn't be so sure about the others.
Unlike chickenpox, the measles, rubella, and mumps viruses don't take up permanent residence in the human body. In the past before vaccines, "permanently immune" adults were getting repeat exposures to those viruses over the course of their lives via coming into contact with sick kids. They didn't come down with symptoms (and in most cases they never even realized they'd been exposed), but that contact with the virus boosted their immune response to it (sort of the natural version of a booster shot). But nowadays, just how often are they getting re-exposed? Pretty rarely. And memory B-cells have a finite lifespan of about 20 years. Depending on how long ago you came down with the diseases, and when your last natural exposure to each of those disease viruses was, you may not have many of those memory B-cells left. You may not be as immune as you think you are.
Perhaps it might be different if you were exposed to measles all time but never caught it yourself. That could be a factor. 95% to 98% have immunity. Isn't that the same as the actual vaccination gives? Nothing is 100%.
Perhaps it might be different if you were exposed to measles all time but never caught it yourself. That could be a factor. 95% to 98% have immunity. Isn't that the same as the actual vaccination gives? Nothing is 100%.
Jo48, nothing on that CDC webpage contradicts what I said in my post above. Prior to 1957 people WERE exposed to measles all the time (as the virus was in continual circulation in the population), which confounds things. It's hard to know if catching the illness once induces permanent immunity when frequent subclinical exposures are constantly re-priming the immune system. And checking serum titers is of limited help, because while a positive titer means your body is still making antibody, a negative titer does NOT necessarily mean you've completely lost immunity - you may have memory B-cells still lurking around waiting for activation, or you may not.
If I was born prior to 1957 I'd get a titer checked, and if it came back negative I'd get a single dose of MMR vaccine, just to play it safe. It may be overkill, but it's erring on the side of safety.
(If "lifetime permanent immunity" was a guaranteed thing, no one would ever get shingles. It's hard to get a more continuous exposure to viral antigens than VZV offers, as it's always there inside your nerves trying to erupt out!)
Last edited by Aredhel; 02-12-2015 at 10:31 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
