Small-scale vaccine approaches to reach at-risk communities
A majority of Pennsylvanians are vaccinated against measles, state data shows.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% lifelong protection against the virus, and one dose is 93% protective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most people get the nationally recommended two-dose vaccination series as children, which is required by state law for kids to attend school unless they apply for an exemption.
Shots are typically available at pediatrician offices, primary care practices and public health centers, as well as some pharmacies and urgent cares.
However, immunization rates today are still lower than they were two decades ago, said pediatrician Dr. Debra Bogen, secretary of the state Department of Health. It’s part of a nationwide trend of declining childhood vaccination rates driven by increasing mistrust in scientific research and medical institutions and misinformation on social media, research shows.
“But we didn’t decline by huge numbers,” Bogen said. “We’re talking 3% and 4% decreases over a decade.”
Still, that’s left Pennsylvania communities with clusters of unvaccinated residents vulnerable to measles, which will infect about 9 in 10 unprotected people who are exposed to the virus, national data shows.
The free, state-sponsored pop-up vaccine clinics are part of a larger effort to reach families who’ve previously held off on getting the shots or been hesitant about immunizations in general. They’re also reaching people in Amish communities, where vaccination rates tend to be low for a number of reasons.
Most Pennsylvanians have never seen the measles virus.
