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The measles virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and babies under a year old are especially at risk because they're too young to receive the vaccine.
That didn't used to be the case when the mother had already HAD natural measles. She would have passed her own immunity down to the child and babies never got measles. Looks like either everybody's got to get vaccinated or nobody should get vaccinated. There's no "in between."
Since the mothers are no longer passing their immunity down to their babies, then I guess I'd be FOR getting everyone vaccinated. Realistically, not many mothers today have the "luxury" of staying home for two weeks to care for a kid with the measles anyway, no matter what age the kid is. My mother did and she and my dad took turns reading to me. Neighbors lent piles of books so that I could be read to--you had to be careful for the entire TWO WEEKS. Two boring weeks in bed and not feeling sick, feeling so good that you wanted to go out and play--but therein lay the danger. Resuming normal activity too soon!!!!!
No, people didn't put quarantine signs on their houses for measles. It was considered a normal childhood disease like chicken pox. Now that I know more though, I would consider it to be more serious than chicken pox because of the after effects if the child resumed normal activities too soon or if they weren't kept in a semi darkened room. You had to follow doctor's orders. I never heard of anyone dying from measles and by the time the vaccine came out the US death rate was only about 1-3% (I just read this.) The problem was possible after effects, not death. There are far more deaths from asthma than from measles.
I would be more worried about measles than chicken pox though. I also just read that even though I, personally never heard of a baby getting measles babies CAN get it now. That's because when a mother has had natural measles she passes on the immunity to the baby. Not so if she has been vaccinated instead of actually having measles. She may pass on some degree of immunity but it doesn't last very long so now (as opposed to when I was growing up) babies CAN get measles.
I'm on the fence about these vaccinations. It seems that it would be better to get natural measles and be immune for your entire life and pass on that natural immunity to a baby. But--and this is a big BUT--with measles you need to get excellent care. I think it was two weeks of total bed rest and do not resume activities too soon. That and staying in a darkened room. For me, the worst part of having measles was the BOREDOM. Just lying there, not allowed to read or get out of bed. Boooooooring. And you don't even feel sick.
This is true of most maladies and is a reason we see so many strange allergies to foods we never did in the past. If a mother has no natural immunities to pass to her child - a good reason to breastfeed - how is that child to get past the little things? The immune system isn't packed full of good things at birth unless mom has built up some antibodies. The kid gets them during gestation as well as while nursing. It is no great mystery as it has been going on since life began. It works for animals as well.
This is true of most maladies and is a reason we see so many strange allergies to foods we never did in the past. If a mother has no natural immunities to pass to her child - a good reason to breastfeed - how is that child to get past the little things? The immune system isn't packed full of good things at birth unless mom has built up some antibodies. The kid gets them during gestation as well as while nursing. It is no great mystery as it has been going on since life began. It works for animals as well.
Thanks everyone for the generally good advice. I'll talk to my doctor and generally avoid bringing her out unnecessarily. Otherwise there probably isn't too much I can do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WildColonialGirl
You and your husband could get boosters. Ask your daycare provider to check the vaccination status of siblings of the other babies.
Hang in there, only two months before your baby can be safer.
Good guess, but I'm the husband ;-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2
Before the vaccine, parents just kept their kids close to home and away from others when there was a lot of cases around. Sometimes the children got measles, sometime they didn't. We just didn't get so frightened about catching the disease......it was part of life and raising children.
And, yes, sometimes they got very ill and died. Somehow, we managed to survive. It could be bad. Usually it wasn't.
So I should only be worried about extinction-causing maladies?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taiko
Doctor Drew was on Adam Carolla's podcast also saying this outbreak would have the silver lining of getting people to throw off the medical advice of an ex Playmate Of The Year.
People listen to celebrities on a whole host of things they really shouldn't, especially considering that they're mostly just actors. Nothing wrong with acting, or even celebrities having opinions, but it's sad people take them so seriously.
The measles virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and babies under a year old are especially at risk because they're too young to receive the vaccine.
That didn't used to be the case when the mother had already HAD natural measles. She would have passed her own immunity down to the child and babies never got measles. Looks like either everybody's got to get vaccinated or nobody should get vaccinated. There's no "in between."
Since the mothers are no longer passing their immunity down to their babies, then I guess I'd be FOR getting everyone vaccinated. Realistically, not many mothers today have the "luxury" of staying home for two weeks to care for a kid with the measles anyway, no matter what age the kid is. My mother did and she and my dad took turns reading to me. Neighbors lent piles of books so that I could be read to--you had to be careful for the entire TWO WEEKS. Two boring weeks in bed and not feeling sick, feeling so good that you wanted to go out and play--but therein lay the danger. Resuming normal activity too soon!!!!!
I got measles at 6 months old in 1949. My friends got it so much older. Mom had her own natural immunity, BUT she did not breastfeed me at all. Antibodies from the mother are also passed in her milk. Maybe if my Mom had nursed me I would not have caught measles, and chicken pox month later, so very young. I am an Only Child. Did not catch it from siblings.
I suppose this is major reason why breastfeeding is recommended for the first year.
you really should look forward to measles, once they get it, they won't never get it again. when i was young, my brother got it and mom made us sleep in the same bed so we have it at the same time.
Breast Feeding Helps But is No Substitute for Vaccinating
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo48
I got measles at 6 months old in 1949. My friends got it so much older. Mom had her own natural immunity, BUT she did not breastfeed me at all. Antibodies from the mother are also passed in her milk. Maybe if my Mom had nursed me I would not have caught measles, and chicken pox month later, so very young. I am an Only Child. Did not catch it from siblings.
I suppose this is major reason why breastfeeding is recommended for the first year.
Breast feeding helps to confer immunity from a disease to a child. However, the evidence is clear that the single most effective way to confer that immunity is through immunizing your child against the measles and other diseases.
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Breast Feeding Helps But is No Substitute for Vaccinating
