Measles immunity?

knottie6ec952bd57068e53

Just got my blood test results and saw I've no measles antibodies! What does this mean for my baby and me?

noellesdad

Looks like you either never had measles or the vaccine or your resistance wore off. Shouldn't be a problem in the US since measles are rare here.

harpseal135

knottie6ec952bd57068e53 said:

Just got my blood test results and saw I've no measles antibodies! What does this mean for my baby and me?

Well, what did your provider say?  That is a question for your doctor: when can I get a booster? Can i get it while pregnant? Can i get it while breastfeeding (if you are able/choose to)? When is the best timing?

kiki75

What @harpseal135 said. If you cannot get it during pregnancy (I don't remember because I did still have immunity), you'll want to talk to your child's pediatrician about it. Babies cannot get it until I think 6mo and at that age, they generally only give it for travel purposes. The standard is at 12 months. But, part of the thinking behind the standard assumes that the mother has immunity that she passed on to the baby both while in the womb and through nursing, which would not apply to you so they may have different suggestions in your case.

stassischroeder

noellesdad said:

Looks like you either never had measles or the vaccine or your resistance wore off. Shouldn't be a problem in the US since measles are rare here.

Uuuuuuuuhhhhh.... not to burst your bubble, but that's quickly becoming untrue. 

inthewoods23

@stassischroeder I wouldn't even say quickly, it IS untrue.

From the CDC website:
As of June 20th, 2019, 1,077 individual cases of measles in 28 states... This is the greatest number of cases reported in the US since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Not that I want to scare anybody, but compared to previous years, I think we're already double the numbers AND we're barely halfway through the year!

ruby696

@inthewoods23 and @stassischroeder, I almost fell out of my chair when I read that comment. Measles is a huge problem in the US, especially if you live in certain areas.🤦‍♀️

chopchop25

Hi. I had the same issue. I had my MMR vaccines as a child, on schedule, and never developed the antibodies. Apparently there was actually a window in the late 80s where they said we might have to go back for a third dose (I honestly don’t know anything about it aside from this anecdote from my mom), but I was supposed to have just missed that window and they said I wouldn’t need it. So it was a big surprise to us when I was pregnant and tested negative.

MMR is a live vaccine, so it’s not safe to get pregnant. The hospital gave me a dose just before we left, after baby was born. Both baby and I were fine and made it through Portland’s lovely measles season this winter/spring. All babies, with mom’s antibodies or without, really need to avoid busy enclosed areas if the disease is in the area, anyway.