Across the country, we’re seeing a reemergence of measles, including the death of a child in Lubbock, Texas. Health experts are expressing concern that parents aren’t having their children vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Today, our Flathead City-County Health Department reports a case of measles in our local population. The good news, if there is any, is that the exposure came from traveling out of the area.
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services tells us about 86% of 2-year-olds have had at least one dose of the MMR vaccine — a bit lower than the national average of 90%.
Logan Health pediatrician, Dr. Ken Graham, tells us we really don’t know how many of us have received the MMR shots. The 2021 Legislature passed House Bill 334, dropping the requirement that counties report vaccination numbers and so Dr. Graham tells us we don’t know how many of us in Flathead County are vaccinated against measles.
Dr. Graham and others in the medical community assure us that the MMR vaccine is safe, but they also realize that vaccination is a personal matter and, therefore, private.
