All of the recent talk about measles and related complications has some people on edge. They’re wondering, “Should care givers worry?” Our registered nurses have checked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the answer. They have a specific list of who should be concerned and the group at the top is composed of unvaccinated individuals. People who’ve been properly vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella have very little to worry about, with a few exceptions. The list of exceptions includes people who received their vaccinations between the years 1963 through 1967. They’d be in their late 40s and 50s today.

Apparently, some of the vaccinations used during that period have proven to be ineffective. Consequently, care givers and their patients who fall into that age category should pull out their vaccination records and have them reviewed by a physician. If the physician determines that the person received an inactivated vaccination, there’s a good chance that he or she will order a new, effective one. Once the new vaccination has been received, the person will be protected.

We should also mention that CDC officials noted there are blood tests available that may be used to confirm or deny a person’s immunity to measles. So, if for some reason your vaccination records are missing or unclear, all is not lost. A physician can still safely find out if you are at risk for contracting measles or not and then respond accordingly. Either way, the key to keeping yourself and others safe is to get vaccinated and faithfully adhere to simple, infection control measures.

At Best Care, we screen all of the registered nurses that we send to people’s homes. They’re backgrounds, including their health records, are looked at closely. So, you can count on our registered nurses to have already been vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella. To learn more about the rigorous hiring process that we put our registered nurses through, please contact us today.