COLUMBUS – As we congratulate new high school and college graduates and celebrate their accomplishments with family and friends from across the state and beyond, it’s an opportunity to make sure that these graduates (and you) are up-to-date on your vaccinations. The Ohio Department of Health reminds Ohioans that immunizations are the most effective way to prevent illness from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The ongoing measles outbreak in parts of Ohio has reached more than 160 cases in Ohio and serves as a reminder to all Ohioans that these diseases can be stopped if people are vaccinated. When individuals are fully vaccinated, the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing the measles.
“With high school and college graduations and graduation parties leading folks to travel across our state and across the U.S., we want to remind Ohioans to keep themselves healthy at these celebrations and to make sure that they are up-to-date on their immunizations,” said ODH State Epidemiologist Dr. Mary DiOrio. “We need to keep in mind that travel can present opportunities for exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles.”
So far ODH has distributed more than 13,000 doses of MMR vaccine to combat the measles outbreak. Local health departments have administered 8,240 (approximately 62 percent) of these doses to date. Symptoms for measles include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, sore throat and a red rash appearing three to five days after the start of the symptoms. Those who are not up-to-date on their immunizations should contact their healthcare provider or local health department and receive the MMR vaccine if there is no medical reason not to do so.
ODH and its local public health partners support the vaccine recommendations established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These recommendations include vaccination schedules for when individuals (children and adults) should receive their vaccinations.
For more information about measles, visit the ODH website.