How to prevent measles?

Those infected with measles are isolated for a period of at least 4 days from the onset of the rash, with complication with pneumonia - at least 10 days.

Information about the person who has been ill and who has been in contact with the patient is transferred to the appropriate children's institutions. Children who did not have measles and who had contact with sick measles are not admitted to children's institutions (nurseries, kindergartens and the first two classes of the school) within 17 days from the time of contact, and for those who received immunoglobulin for a preventive purpose, they extend the dissolution period to 21 days. The child can visit the children's institution for the first 7 days from the beginning of the contact, since the incubation period for measles does not occur shorter than 7 days, their dissociation begins on the 8th day after contact. Children who had been ill with measles, as well as those vaccinated with living measles vaccine and adults are not separated.

For specific prevention of measles, use immunoglobulin, prepared from donor blood. It is administered for emergency prophylaxis only to those children who have been exposed to measles, which are not vaccinated, or to children under the vaccination age. The dose of immunoglobulin is 3 ml. Immunoglobulin has the greatest preventive effect when administered no later than the 5th day from the moment of contact.

Active immunization is carried out with a live measles vaccine, manufactured under the supervision of A.A. Smorodintseva from the vaccine strain L-16, as well as vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella with foreign drugs prioriks and MMR II. The introduction of the vaccine to susceptible children causes an immunological reaction with the appearance of specific measles antibodies in 95-98% of the grafted. The accumulation of antibodies begins 7-15 days after the administration of the vaccine. The highest level of antibodies is established after 1-2 months. After 4-6 months the antibody titer begins to decrease. The duration of immunity acquired as a result of active immunization has not yet been established (the observation period is up to 20 years).

In response to the introduction of live measles vaccine, from the 6th to the 18th day, clinical manifestations of the vaccinal process may occur in the form of increased body temperature, the appearance of conjunctivitis, catarrhal symptoms, and sometimes rashes. The vaccine reaction usually lasts no more than 2-3 days. Children with vaccinal reactions are not contagious to others.

Obligatory vaccinations against measles with live vaccine are carried out by non-measles measles at 12 months of age with a booster at the age of 6 years. The vaccine is injected once subcutaneously in a dose of 0.5 ml. For epidemiological well-being, 95% of children should be immune (sick and vaccinated). The widespread introduction of active immunization against measles has contributed to a sharp decline in the incidence of this infection, especially in pre-school and school-age children. In conditions of mass active immunization of children among those who develop measles, the proportion of older children and adults increases.

Live measles vaccine is used both for the purpose of emergency measles prevention, and for managing outbreaks in organized groups (pre-school children's institutions, schools, other secondary schools). At the same time, all contactees are urgently vaccinated (except for children under 12 months of age) who do not have information about measles or vaccination. Vaccination, carried out in the source of infection in the early stages of the incubation period (before the 5th day), prevents the spread of measles in the team.

There is no contraindication to vaccination against measles.

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