Yes, you can get measles if you’re fully vaccinated, though it’s much more rare. There’s a lot of confusion when it comes to vaccines that don’t offer perfect protection – does this mean the vaccine doesn’t work? Why bother getting it if you can get measles even if you have two doses?
Here’s what to know:
The vast majority of measles cases are in people who aren’t fully vaccinated. Of the 2,278 measles cases in the U.S. last year, the vast majority (93%) were in people who were totally unvaccinated, plus another 3% were those who had just one dose of the MMR vaccine, meaning they weren’t fully vaccinated. That leaves about 4% of cases who got the measles last year in the U.S. even though they had the recommended 2 doses of the MMR vaccine.
Only 3-4% of people who get measles are fully vaccinated. About 3% on average just don’t produce antibodies to the measles virus after vaccination, and therefore don’t get the protection against the disease if they encounter it later. If that sounds high to you, consider comparing it to flu, where vaccination protects against severe illness and death but doesn’t necessarily stop you from getting sick. In reality, the measles vaccine is one of the best. It completely prevents infection in 96-97% of people who are fully vaccinated, which actually makes it one of the most effective vaccines ever.
If you’re fully vaccinated, you’re much less likely to have severe illness (or to pass the measles on to others!). While you’ll still need to isolate if you are in the unlucky 3 or 4% who don’t get immunity from the MMR vaccine, you’re in luck. As far as we know, there’s never been a recorded death from measles in someone with 2 doses of MMR vaccine. The only person with a vaccine who has died in the U.S. since 2001 from measles was someone who was immunocompromised and only had one dose of the vaccine.
So, is it still worth it to get vaccinated even if you can be one of the unlucky few that don’t develop immunity after vaccination? Definitely. It slashes your chances of even getting the virus by a whopping 97% on average, and offers protection against death even if you do. Sounds like a good bet to us.
Sources: Slate, Yale School of Public Health, Today
So much of what we do here at ZHH is communicating complex, evolving scientific understanding into clear, actionable guidance for employers. But it’s always a trade-off between clarity and nuance. This thoughtful article from Kristen Panthagani covers a study that’s specifically on foodborne illness messaging - super relevant!