Brook should be in New York right now. Swelling with pride as she watches her 14-year-old daughter sing – at CARNEGIE HALL. But here she is, sitting at home. Because: anti-vaxers.

You see, my dear friend has Lupus, and New York has the measles. An old school, 1950s, friggin’ measles outbreak. Damn it.

And we’re not just talking New York. We’re talking TWENTY THREE STATES with measles cases RIGHT NOW. Brook is basically stuck in North Carolina.

Measles defined

Maybe you’re like me and thought measles went out of style along with smoking-while-pregnant. You’re wondering, what the hell is measles anyway?

According to the CDC:

Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Also, measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed.

If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.

Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears.

Uh, the virus can live for up to two hours?! And you catch it just from breathing air?! Gag.

Also, symptoms don’t even show up for 7 to 14 days after you get infected.

Which means you might think you’re coming down with the common cold or flu. Until the nasty rash begins.

The CDC goes on to tell us about the evil things this virus does:

Some people may suffer from severe complications, such as pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). They may need to be hospitalized and could die.

As many as one out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.

About one child out of every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain) that can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.

For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it.

Measles may cause pregnant woman to give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.

In other words, THE MEASLES SUCKS. And people like my friend Brook don’t need to get anywhere near this crap.

Why I’m getting the measles shot AGAIN

The CDC’s words are wigging me out. Because I’m headed to Washington state soon – into the belly of the anti-vaxer beast.

I am healthy, without the burden of an autoimmune disease. I owe it to Brook and countless others to not bring the measles home with me.

Here’s the thing though: I have no idea if I’m actually immune to the virus. Because I have no idea if I ever got the recommended two shots when I was young.

Recently I found the sweet little book where my pediatrician recorded all my vaccinations. There’s EXACTLY ONE MMR notation – from 1977. (That stands for measles-mumps-rubella for the uninitiated.)

Which led me to Facebook, where I polled my friends. To see if they think I’m immune. Because Facebook people know things.

One friend wrote: “Somewhere around 1988 there was a measles scare at the high school, and I think we had to get a second shot. Wouldn’t be surprised if you did, too.”

Another wrote: “I looked today also and I had to get a booster for college – bet you did too. 1977 and 1994.”

That info seemed legit. I followed up this research with a call to my mom. She was no help. (Not surprising, as a couple years ago I discovered I have a slight heart murmur. When I asked her about this, she said, “Huh, that sounds familiar. I remember the doctor saying one of you kids had one…”)

Next, I called my pediatrician. The response: “We don’t keep records that far back.”

In other words, I am old.

Then I called my alma mater. Student Health actually laughed when I asked if they had records in some secret vault from the 1990s. Uh, no.

I’m left now with three options:

1. Assume the interwebs speak the truth

Which means I got a booster somewhere between 1988 and 1994.

2. Get my immunity levels checked

With a blood test. For $250 or whatever. (Money I’d rather spend on many shoes at Target.)

3. Get a booster shot

For the first time? For the second time? Just for gee whiz.

I’m pursuing option #3. But only because I finally did actual, non-Facebook research. I called the authorities and explained the lack of MMR vaccine evidence in my life and my I’m-too-cheap-to-get-a-blood-test mindset. My OBGYN and the county health department both said the same thing: there’s no harm in getting a booster AGAIN.

I’m making an appointment for tomorrow.

Which brings me back to Brook. Because there’s significant harm if I come back from Washington with the measles. If I deliver this ancient disease to her doorstep. If I infect small children or others who are immune-suppressed.

Join the fight

You can help Brook, too.

She can’t get the vaccine. Because: Lupus. But you can!

We all need to ban together to protect folks like Brook or those waiting for an organ transplant or babies who are too tiny to get vaccinated. It’s called herd immunity.

And I bet you know Brook, even though you’re going to tell me you don’t. You see, she doesn’t wear a button on her shirt announcing that she has Lupus. In fact, she’s a hard-charging, fast-talking, working momma, with an energy level of about a gazillion decibels. I don’t know anything about Lupus, except that it doesn’t slow her down – at least not outwardly.

Which is why I bet you’ve got a Brook in your life – a girlfriend or a neighbor smiling big on the outside, silently dealing on the inside with untold complications. We owe it to the Brooks in our lives to increase the herd immunity in our communities.

Luckily in North Carolina, the anti-vaxers haven’t yet won. A local infectious disease doctor says our county specifically boasts a 94% vaccination rate. While doctors prefer that herd immunity number to be 95%, I’m excited Brook can roam free – around these parts at least.

Not so much in New York. To hear her say it, “Chronic illness is really sneaky. You get used to it, or think you do, and then it winds up for a sucker-punch. My measles ‘titers’ are low, I can’t have the vaccine because it is a live vaccine, and there is an measles outbreak in NYC. So, I will miss my daughter sing in Carnegie Hall. I am alternatively devastated and pissed as hell.”

Protect your loved ones

You can take these steps to protect yourself, your family and your whole community from this nasty bug.

1. Vaccinate your kids

Don’t let the anti-vaxers and their FAKE NEWS win! The MMR vaccine DOES NOT CAUSE AUTISM.

And if mercury’s got you running scared, the CDC says this vaccine has NEVER contained Thimersoal.

2. Keep your records up-to-date

You, too, should take a trip down memory lane to reconstruct your vaccination records from when you were wee years old. To discover if you got the MMR booster.

And for your own kiddos, call their pediatrician and get a copy of their shot records for future reference.

3. Get your titers checked

Um, titers? What the heck is that? This is where you go to the doctor and ask her to check how much immunity your body has. Via that simple blood test I mentioned earlier.

Super helpful if you were born in the 1970s and your mom didn’t follow tip #2 above.

4. Get a booster shot

Especially if your titers are low. Especially if your summer vacation involves one of those TWENTY THREE STATES where the measles is kicking everyone’s ass. Me and Brook don’t want you to bring it home as a souvenir.

So tell me, how are you joining the fight against measles and strengthening the herd immunity in your community? Share your thoughts below or on Facebook at MothersRest.

Photo credit: Cflgroup Media from Pexels.com

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS
This post has gone viral! Over 2,000 shares in the first 24 hours I posted it on Facebook. Keep spreading the news!