The news is filled with stories about the declining rate of childhood vaccinations and conjecture about what the long-term effects of that will be. Some wonder if the spread of formerly controlled childhood diseases will begin to affect adults, too.
Dr. Tim Laird, chief medical officer at Health First Medical Group, says vaccine hesitancy has been around for a long time. “It got worse during COVID,” he says, “but it still is a belief of a relatively small part of the population.”
A Pew Research Center survey found that most Americans remain steadfast in their belief in the overall value of childhood vaccines, with no change over the last four years in the large majority who say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks.
Dr. Laird says there are a host of reasons for vaccine hesitancy. “No one likes getting a shot – even though I’m a doctor, I don’t either,” he says. “Sometimes people don’t give vaccines credit for working, assuming they didn’t get sick because they were lucky, not because of the shot they received worked.
“If you’re not a fan of vaccines to start with, it’s easy to blame any health issue that occurs six months after you got a shot on the shot. And unfortunately, many people do not understand the immune system and how vaccines work.”
In a recent newsletter, the American Medical Association writes that immunizations have prevented countless cases of disease and disability, and saved millions of lives annually, year after year. Yet there are still people who are sickened or disabled by preventable infectious diseases and families that mourn the loss of loved ones from vaccine-preventable illnesses. That is why experts say it is important to stay up to date on immunizations for the entire family.
Currently, there is considerable conversation about whether the declining rate of childhood vaccinations will cause an increase in adults contracting these diseases.
On the whole, Dr. Laird doesn’t think so. “In the case of measles, any adult who was born before 1958 has been deemed immune for life due to their exposure to the disease. After that, people received the vaccine. Is it possible for immunity to wane? Yes, but protection will still be present at a high level,” he says.
News Medical, one of the world’s leading open-access medical and life science hubs, concurs with Dr. Laird, stating, “The MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) vaccine remains the best protection against measles, according to a modelling study in England which suggests the level of protection decreases only slightly over time. MMR remains highly protective against measles for life, protecting over 95 percent of vaccinated individuals from measles.”
Rubella is a different concern. If a woman contacts rubella while she’s pregnant, she can be at risk for miscarriage or stillbirth. Her developing baby may be born with severe birth defects.
Dr. Laird says it’s important to find out if you’ve lost your immunity from that long-ago MMR vaccination you received. The CDC recommends that women planning to have children get re-vaccinated before becoming pregnant to reduce the risk of becoming infected with rubella, which can be passed on to the unborn child.
“Whooping cough can affect adults, but we’ve outsmarted that because it’s now included in tetanus shots that are recommended be given every ten years,” Dr. Laird explains.
The shingles vaccine is unique because it’s requested so often. After you’ve had chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can remain dormant in the body for decades and then mysteriously reactivate, causing shingles.
“That’s the one we have no trouble convincing people to get,” says Dr. Laird. “If you know one person who’s had shingles and they’ve told you about their pain and discomfort, that’s a major motivation for you to get vaccinated.”
Dr. Laird says adults should be sure also that their vaccines against flu, COVID-19, pneumococcal diseases, and RSV are current. “They are all highly transmissible and the vaccines are effective.”
Dr. Laird stressed the importance of getting your information about vaccines from a reliable source. “What’s right for your next-door neighbor may not be right for you. Talk to your doctor about your questions and concerns. Don’t get your answers from social media.”
Tim Laird, MD, is Chief Medical Officer at HFMG (Health First Medical Group). He got his MD degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He was certified by the American Board of Family Medicine in 1994 and has been re-certified twice since. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine. Health First Medical Group is located at 1223 Gateway Dr., Melbourne. The phone number is 321-434-9562.
