Pediatric infectious disease experts are considering revising recommendations to encourage an early, additional dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for 6- to 11-month-old infants in high-risk areas, according to MedPage Today. The shift would change the 2-dose regimen per lifetime to 3 doses, while also getting an earlier start. Public health leaders recently discussed in a JAMA perspective the possibility of expanding vaccine recommendations for infants who live in regions with known measles outbreaks or who could be traveling to a high-risk area. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices currently recommends 2 lifetime doses of the MMR vaccine—at age 12 to 15 months and again at age 4 to 6 years. New thinking would add that third dose while also beginning the MMR regimen earlier for younger infants. Even so, the committee already recommends that third, early dose for infants who would be traveling internationally. Keep in mind the current recommendations were published in 2022 when measles maintained an “eliminated” status, which some believe will no longer be the case for the United States in the weeks ahead.
Increasing case numbers: Adding up recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state-reported separate data, the measles outbreak has now surpassed 500 cases. In Texas alone, at least 422 cases have been identified since late January—42 of which have resulted in hospitalizations as well as 1 pediatric death.
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