Michigan health officials recommend accelerated vaccine in 7 counties amid measles outbreak
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging parents in seven counties to consider moving up their children's measles vaccines.
"Last year was a terrible year for measles. It was the worst year for both cases and deaths since 1991, and this year is on track to be much worse," said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, MDHHS chief medical executive.
Bagdasarian said Michigan has seen an outbreak of seven measles cases in Washtenaw County, and now there's one in Monroe County.
"That didn't have any direct links to that initial outbreak, and what that tells us is there could have been a transmission chain in between that first outbreak and this additional case that we don't know about," Bagdasarian said.
She said that potential transmission is the reason her department is making this new recommendation. MDHHS encourages people in Washtenaw, Monroe, Wayne, Oakland, Jackson, Livingston and Lenawee counties to consider vaccinating children at 6-12 months instead of waiting until the baby is a year old or older.
It's a move that Adam Edmunds, a Livingston County dad of two, said he thinks is a good idea. He said his oldest attends pre-K.
"Whatever she brings home, then my youngest one will get too, and so, you know, five and 2-year-old kids, they get sick a lot. If you can avoid the serious ones, then why wouldn't you, you know?" Edmunds said.
Edmunds said the way he sees it, diseases like measles just aren't like the common cold.
"With the measles, like there can be like serious complications, like the encephalitis and, you know, long-term hospitalizations and deaths and things like that."
CBS News Detroit reached out to eight Livingston County moms for comment on the new local recommendation, but no one was available on Wednesday.
According to MDHHS, the vaccines can be administered at your doctor's office, local pharmacy or health department. If you have questions, it's an opportunity to ask an expert as well.
