KENT COUNTY, Mich. — With cold and flu season in full swing, health experts are sharing the latest vaccine guidance to help families stay protected through the holidays. Corewell Health and the Kent County Health Department are offering reminders and updates on recommended vaccinations — including measles, RSV and hepatitis B.
Measles on the Rise
Measles is once again making national headlines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 40 outbreaks across the U.S. this year.
“We continue to recommend that everyone has the two doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, super effective. We see that there's a 97% effectiveness in preventing the illness of measles with that,” said Dr. Adam London with the Kent County Health Department.
He added that while measles was eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago, cases have climbed again. “This year we have over 1,600 cases nationally, probably many more than that, including several deaths, four cases in Kent County. Thankfully, no deaths. But we do strongly encourage people to be up to date on their measles, mumps, rubella, and if they don't know, contact the doctor's office,” London said.
RSV Protection for Babies and Older Adults
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is another virus that health experts say families should be aware of, especially parents of young children.
“Respiratory syncytial virus, it's the number one leading cause of hospitalizations in babies before their first birthday, but it's a virus that affects the lungs and the breathing passages, and it can be extremely dangerous in the young,” said Mary Zimmerman, a nurse from Corewell Health.
She added that “any infants zero to eight months, entering their first RSV season, should be getting RSV monoclonal antibody.” Pregnant mothers can also receive an RSV vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks to help protect their babies.
For older adults, there’s also protection available. “That's for those 50 years through 74 years with high risk conditions, and then everyone 75 years and older, and that's a once in a lifetime dose,” Zimmerman said.
Hepatitis B Guidance
Experts are also reminding adults and pregnant mothers about the importance of hepatitis B vaccination. It is recommended for adults ages 19 to 59 and for pregnant women.
“Hepatitis B is actually a virus that spread through infected body fluids, and one of the ways that it can pass is from the mother to the baby during birth. It's why, for decades, we've been giving that first dose of hepatitis B vaccine in the first few hours of life,” said Zimmerman.
Infants infected at birth face serious health risks.
“98% of infants that get hepatitis B virus at birth have the chronic type hepatitis B vaccine, and they can develop liver cancer, liver failures, need transplants or die,” she explained.
"I think the reason why people are confused right now is because CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recently talked about changing the timing of that first dose of the vaccine. But regardless of the discussion, the key point still is the same. It's extremely important to be vaccinated."
For more information guidance on the flu and COVID-19 vaccine, click here.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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