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posted by takyon on Monday May 07 2018, @06:20PM   Printer-friendly

Measles exposure warning issued for four New York counties

A traveler from Europe may have exposed people to measles in Chemung, Genesee, Livingston and Niagara counties, the New York state Department of Health warned Saturday. The traveler, who has a confirmed case of measles, visited multiple sites in upstate New York on April 30, and May 1-2. Anyone who visited the following locations on these dates and times could have been exposed:

  • Old Country Buffet, 821 Country Route 64, Elmira, between 1 and 4 p.m. April 30.
  • Ontario Travel Plaza on the New York state Thruway in Le Roy, between 4 and 6:30 p.m. April 30.
  • Sheraton Niagara Falls, 300 3rd Street, Niagara Falls, from 5:30 p.m. April 30 to 9:30 a.m. on May 2.
  • Niagara Falls Urgent Care, 3117 Military Road. Suite 2, Niagara Falls, between 3 and 6 p.m. May 1.
  • Exit 5 on Interstate 390 in Dansville, from 9:30 a.m. to noon May 2.

The times reflect the period that the infected person was in these areas and a two-hour period after the individual left the area. The virus remains alive in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours.

takyon: Measles outbreaks have been reported in Okinawa, Pennsylvania, and Missouri recently.


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday May 07 2018, @10:21PM (5 children)

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Monday May 07 2018, @10:21PM (#676811) Journal

    A measles vaccine only grants immunity for a few years.

    Only if you were vaccinated pre-1967. [healthline.com]
    You're welcome.

    --
    This sig for rent.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +3  
       Informative=3, Total=3
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   5  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 07 2018, @11:08PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 07 2018, @11:08PM (#676824)

    There have been few conclusive studies on measles vaccine longevity; CDC only reports effectiveness, which is a different kind of measure. Some years back there was a study in India, that found that only 20% of children had immunity even after two doses of the vaccine:
    http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/measles-vaccine-protects-only-1-out-of-5-children-in-delhi-study/854162/ [indianexpress.com]
    Administering a third dose (as part of a second dose of MMR) increased immunity to 72%. The study notes, however, that this indicates effectiveness, not longevity. Absent additional data it would be prudent to adopt the precautionary conclusion that the vaccinated immunity is not lifelong and requires periodic revaccination. The lack of measles infections in the US, where measles is considered extinct, should be tentatively attributed more to lack of infected children to spread the disease. The 98% effectiveness figure cited by the CDC just may be a consequence of that, since after leaving school, we are far less likely to encounter children with measles and so remain uninfected in spite of lack of immunity.

    • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @01:19AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @01:19AM (#676856)

      Different AC now.

      Those results are from India where many of the mothers had actually measles rather than received a vaccination. This means the maternal antibodies will in general neutralize the vaccine (prevent it from doing anything) for much longer than in the US. Strangely, in the US the vaccination age is now too late at 12 months but in India they tried doing 9 months... So this looks like large scale incompetence to me.

      I think the "vaccine advocates" have a lot of trouble with this one since they've been trying to use "you're threatening my babies" to drum up hatred towards "anti-vaxxers" so they can misdirect blame towards them for the eventual end of the measles "honeymoon period". They've spread a lot of misinfo about not vaccinating newborns because it is dangerous, when that is not the reason at all.

      The actual threat is the regulators who refuse to push up the age of vaccination to account for quicker waning immunity in the US. They don't want to do that because they will

      1) be publicizing a negative aspect of the vaccine, and
      2) triggering an irrational fear in the public of a danger to the infant.

      This only creates a larger susceptible population and thus hastens the onset of the honeymoon's end.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @01:28PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @01:28PM (#677009)

        Your explanation does not work because the Indian study measured immunity after *two* vaccinations. It is plausible that the first vaccination may have been neutralized by maternal antibodies, but the second one should have had the full effect. Look also at the result of the third dose: immunity was spread to 70%, up from 20%. The increase of 50 points appears to indicate initial vaccine effectiveness of over 50%, with immunity waning over time. This hypothesis would explain why in the US two full doses are sufficient to maintain 97% effectiveness at the time of testing (I was unable to find the numbers on the age at which the testing was done, if any test was done at all). Then, over, say, 5-10 years, immunity wanes and tends to disappear completely. So I still say that it would be best to assume that recurrent vaccination may be required.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @11:37PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 08 2018, @11:37PM (#677241)

          It is plausible that the first vaccination may have been neutralized by maternal antibodies, but the second one should have had the full effect.

          I think the first one given in the presence of maternal antibodies is supposed to still induce an "innate immunity" T-cell response which later "interferes" with the B-cell (antibody) response to the vaccine. I can't find a mention of it at the moment though...

          And sure, there is waning anyway (see other discussion in this thread about that) but that seems much quicker than usually reported.

  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday May 08 2018, @07:19AM

    by Bot (3902) on Tuesday May 08 2018, @07:19AM (#676934) Journal

    Problem:
    Your business is selling vaccines for an illness.
    Solution A is effective few years.
    Solution B is lifelong.
    Question: how many hitmen you hire to make sure nobody knows of Solution B?

    --
    Account abandoned.