Giving an additional early vaccination may reduce measles outbreaks

Research paper: Protective efficacy of standard Edmonston-Zagreb vaccination in infants aged 4.5 months: Randomized controlled trial Outbreaks of measles in developing countries may be reduced by vaccinating infants at 4.5 months of age as well as at the World Health Organization's recommended routine vaccination at 9 months, according to a study published on BMJ.com today. These findings should lead to reconsideration of the policy for vaccination during measles outbreaks and in humanitarian emergencies, say the authors. Maternal antibodies protect against measles during the first months of life and infants routinely receive their first vaccination between 9 and 15 months to coincide with when these maternal antibodies are lost. This vaccination policy was based on children born to naturally infected mothers, but measles... [read full story]