A spike in measles cases has sparked new fears among medical experts that the measles vaccine may no longer be working.
A joint investigation from the Victorian Health Department and several Melbourne hospitals has found 13 Victorians contracted the disease in recent years despite already being vaccinated.
It's raised concerns the virus has evolved.
Research by the Department of Health, the Doherty Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital shows that, between 2014 and 2017, 13 Australians who had been vaccinated still contracted the virus.
Medical experts suggest a third vaccination may be necessary to keep people immune.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Dr Katherine Gibney is an epidemiologist at the Doherty Institute and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
She says because Australia has done such a good job at eliminating measles, people who have had only one vaccine aren’t getting a natural immunity boost as the disease isn’t circulating in the community.
“If you had been vaccinated and came into contact with someone with measles you might get a little natural boost in your antibody levels,” said Dr Gibney.
The research, published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, showed a number of people who were hospitalised with the disease had been vaccinated at least once in the past, but their immunity had waned over time.
They had what is called secondary vaccine failure, meaning they had at least one dose of the vaccine and showed antibodies in their blood, but that protection waned and they contracted measles.
The symptoms weren’t considered ‘classic measles’ – patients weren’t reporting fever, cough and runny nose - but they did have a rash.
“Normally, if people have documented receiving two doses of measles vaccine we would be confident they won’t contract measles, but that’s getting greyer – this research has demonstrated some vaccinated people are getting measles,” Dr Gibney said.
More at: https://7news.com.au/news/public-hea...unity-c-182822
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