Wellness

[bargainsgirl]

My understanding is if you have had the measles then you are immune.  Is that correct? I had them for 2 weeks when I was in 2nd grade (65 years ago)   Very sick.  

[Love my grandkids]

@bargainsgirl I'm 77 and had them as a child. However due to my health and my doc's ok, 9 years ago I got the MMR vaccine and never regretted it. I know lots of people in their 60s and 70s who have gotten this.

[bargainsgirl]

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@Love my grandkids wrote:

@bargainsgirl I'm 77 and had them as a child. However due to my health and my doc's ok, 9 years ago I got the MMR vaccine and never regretted it. I know lots of people in their 60s and 70s who have gotten this.

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Thanks.  We were just discussing this at dinner.  I had both the German (Rubella) and measles (rubeola) which is more serious.  Guess we never had to give a thought to this being a problem in the world again...stay healthy!

[We rescue cats]

I sure hope this is the case, I had both versions of it as a child, as well as chicken pox. 

[JanetsGirl]

If you have questions about your measles immunity, there is a simple, straightforward blood test available to determine if you have measles antibodies.  This may be an option to consider.  Ask your doctor.

[Linmo]

@JanetsGirl Great advice!  DD who is 30 and had all vaccines as an infant/child became a health care professional and was tested for immunity.  She was no longer immune and needed a couple of doses.

[cjm61]

@bargainsgirl Yes, just as @JanetsGirl states, you can have a very simple blood test done to determine your immunities. Ask your doctor, it's called a Titer test. 

[Roscoe the Rascal]

I had as a kid and shingles as an adult. 

[Laura14]

@bargainsgirl That is correct if you had the actual disease. You should be immune. If you are only vaccinated, then you may need a booster. 

I am putting my PSA for the day here again. If you have had the MMR vaccine twice in your life which they say is lifelong immunity, do not take that as gospel. I had the titers test for a pharmacy license and I was below the immunity threshold for measles and needed a third vaccine. 

If you have any worry, a titers test is a simple blood test and was very inexpensive when I had mine done about ten years ago. 

PS: Shingles comes from the chicken pox virus not measles, so if you had chicken pox as a kid, run don't walk for the Shingrix vaccine. Most pharmacies will have it on hand. 

[haddon9]

I can distinctly remember having German measles and the mumps when I was a child.  I can't remember if I had measles or chicken pox. 

However when my kids were in early elementary school (before the vaccine) they both got chicken pox pretty badly and I didn't so I must have had them as a child.

I plan on having my regular blood work done soon and will ask my doctor about a measles titer test.