More Elkhart County residents are getting vaccinated against measles, after the county has seen its first recorded cases in decades.
Elkhart County Health Officer Melanie Sizemore says the count of measles cases was at five, as of Thursday morning. "We had not seen it in quite some time," Sizemore explained. "Our records go back to 2018, shows nothing, and then we have other records that we have looked at that go back to 1991, and we’re not finding anything."
Now, Sizemore says the health department has been holding MMR vaccination clinics around the county and doing extensive outreach into the Amish community. "We are double and triple booking," Sizemore said. "We’re seeing – at one clinic late last week was like 80, 88 people came, so we’re definitely seeing a good response."
The threshold for herd immunity is considered to be a 95-percent vaccination rate, and Sizemore says Elkhart County’s is in the high 80s. “The main thing to keep in mind is that the vaccine is proven," Sizemore added. "It’s been around for decades. We know that it works, and it’s the only thing that does work."
Sizemore says the MMR vaccine requires two doses, given at least 28 days apart. If those who haven’t been vaccinated think they’ve been exposed to measles, they should monitor for symptoms to know when to stay home. She says people can still minimize symptoms and potential long-term complications by getting vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure.
