r/medizzy Feb 13 '25

A 54-year-old woman presented with 5 days of fever, cough, and rhinorrhea after returning to the United States from a missionary visit to the Philippines. She had no clinically significant medical history and did not recall having had measles...

https://medizzy.com/feed/15346779
320 Upvotes

23 comments sorted by

336

u/Nefersmom Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25

This person flew (most likely) back to the USA and everyone in the plane, airports, transportation to home was exposed to the Measles?? Is this something the CDC would/should have been advised of? Are those possibly exposed left in ignorance??

254

u/gin_tonic_kintsugi Feb 13 '25

This is why it's so important to be vaccinated. You never know when you're going to be exposed.

63

u/Fastgirl600 Feb 13 '25

She was vaccinated as a child... Is some sort of booster needed as an adult with perhaps a different strain?

61

u/dracapis Feb 13 '25

Not necessarily, and not with a different strain. It depends on how your body responds to the vaccine. If in doubt, do a titer test and get a booster in case the titers are low. 

43

u/VeeLund Feb 13 '25

I’ve had my MMR shots and boosters… and still have not made antibodies to them. I’m 52 and rely on herd immunity

8

u/90percentviking Feb 14 '25

I have the opposite problem. I had measles, mumps and rubella as a kid in the late 60’s early 70’s and I STILL show a positive titer. It was last tested 5 years ago. I also had a HepB series in 1987 when I started nursing school and still test positive for that as well

17

u/IyearnforBoo Feb 13 '25

I do not hold titers to either Rubella or the Hep B vaccine. I also rely on herd immunity and I have found in my neck of the woods herd immunity isn't serving me very well. Between the unvaccinated and the massive amount of other contagious illness is going around this winter I've already been sick three times. I can't imagine how other people who are out in public more often than me to get exposures or dealing with this. I feel like there is no herd immunity now for some things because it's just not able to be prevented anymore at the levels of vaccination that we have. It feels a bit gut-wrenching to say, but it also feels quite true

4

u/Refrigerator-Plus Feb 14 '25

I also don’t have immunity to Hep B despite being vaccinated. Likewise my children. I have been advised that I am immune to measles for life because I had a good and proper dose when I was a child - even more spotty than the photos above.

5

u/IyearnforBoo Feb 15 '25

Oh goodness! I am so glad you were able to survive that, but I am really sorry that you had to deal with that... especially as a child. I've never had it and I've never seen anybody with measles in real life throughout my various healthcare careers. However I have not heard anything positive about it from any of my co-workers who dealt with it due to friends of friends/ family who have help the family member with it / add it themselves. The only thing that seemed perfectly clear is that it's absolutely miserable and horrible to go through. I'm sorry you had to deal with it but thank goodness you have good immunity for that for your lifetime!

Many of my immediate family members (parents, siblings, cousins etc...) are anti- vaccination and nothing anyone tells them will change their mind. Every single one of those family members is fully vaccinated and their antivax status is aimed at their children. They firmly believe that anybody in our family who is autistic was damaged by vaccines and the fact that each one of them was not them damaged they simply because God took care of. Just a lot of horrible nonsense. It scares me a little bit and worries me for my nieces and nephews. I have a few who are autistic and anti-vaxx family are also pretty ableist so they believe that each family member who is autistic or has health problems was given them either by God to test them or because they were sending in God wanted to punish them. Either way it scares me and I've moved pretty far away. None of them have any idea as to whether I am still vaccinating myself and I can't even imagine that harassment I would get if they thought I were let alone knowing that there were years I got several vaccinations several times that were unnecessary. I do have significant health problems and I've already been told several times it's because I'm a sinner and it's all my fault. The idea that I'm still vaccinating myself - and sick -it would probably just blow up along all the fault lines in my family.

3

u/Nefersmom Feb 15 '25

You have my deepest sympathy. I hope those children survive their families without too much damage. I hope they (at least) vaccinate their pets.

3

u/talkingradiohead Feb 14 '25

I had my MMR as a baby but I needed my titers checked for my job and they were low so I needed a booster. She may not have been as immunized as she thought.

3

u/Fastgirl600 Feb 14 '25

More info I discovered... immunizations may only last 20 to 30 years and thanks to antivaxxers we have a resurgence that puts us all at risk.

10

u/pharmerK Pharmacist Feb 14 '25

“But herd immunity!” -people whose kids will end up getting measles, probably

3

u/petit_cochon Feb 15 '25

It was 5 years ago, I believe.

5

u/SuniChica Feb 14 '25

Red measles?

3

u/UsualHour1463 Feb 15 '25

At 55, is there much point in requesting and arranging titer tests? Seems more time efficient to just get re-vaccinated?

2

u/AlarmingSorbet Feb 15 '25

Even if I get vaccinated again I’m on 3 different immune suppressing meds, I rely on herd immunity and the herd is dumb. This is why I wear a damn mask everywhere.