Measles vaccination ?

[WDWOswald]

Our son is 12 months old and we are taking him to wdw. He is up to date on his vaccinations but hasn't had his measles shot yet. Should be be concerned about traveling with him? Should we try and get him the shot before we leave on monday?

 

[Alesia]

That's a question for your son's doctor.

 

[greentea]

What Alesia said. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, the vaccine takes over a week to be effective (I believe I've read 10 days to 2 weeks).

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

I read meatless vacation.

 

[WDWOswald]

This is a difficult decision. Our trip is on Monday , so his vaccination wouldn't be fully effective even if he received it tomorrow. There have been no cases of measles in Florida for years. The fact is that he will be at risk. This is horrible!

 

[soniam]

Do you ever take him out of the house? He's probably as likely to get stuff at home as at WDW. I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly, there's really nothing you can do about it anyway now, except relax and have a good vacation.

 

[Alesia]

Please don't ask for medical advice on the disboards. Just call the doctor's office in the morning and ask what they think. You should be putting your trust in them, not internet strangers who know nothing about your son. Only your son's doctor has the information needed to properly weigh the risks vs. the rewards.

 

[WDWOswald]

Thanks guys. The fact is going to WDW with him will put him at an increased risk of getting measles. How much that risk increases is hard to say.. I'm sure other parents of 12 month olds have had similar questions

 

[minnie mum]

And I'm sure they put more credence in their pediatricians opinion than those of anonymous internet posters.

 

[disney world dreamer]

did you watch law and order SVU last night? lol. it was all about measles and the one character's 16mo got it on the very day he was vaccinated.

the fact is he's at risk for getting measles ANYWHERE. not just at disney world.
and he's at risk for getting all kinds of illnesses not just measles.

it takes 1-2 weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective so if you're going in a few days he would not be protected.

contact your doctor for PROFESSIONAL advice.

this forum is only each person's OPINION about the subject.

to be honest i'm more concerned about getting sick from someone at home before i leave for my trip on sunday than i am of picking up some bug while i'm there.
for the last 2 months members of my family have been constantly getting sick.
my niece has gotten a bug 4 times in the last 2 months and just fell in again on tuesday after being at my house for several hours on easter.
and my dad got soooo sick 3 weeks ago that he nearly died.
he was in the hospital for several days and he's still feeling "off".
the in the last week my mom has had some digestive issues that seem to be some kind of bug and not just her body acting weird.
i've taken a couple doses of airborne and i'm gonna take a coule more in the next couple days in hopes i can avoid illness.

 

[mshanson3121]

Pretty much what everyone else said.

It won't be effective even if he does get it.
As long as there's not an active outbreak there - go and enjoy it, he's just as likely to catch it at home. Were there an outbreak, then I would not be going. But, there's no outbreak in Florida - the "Disney measles" outbreak was in California. So go, have fun. Call your doctor and talk to him if you're still concerned.

 

[cjparker0110]

As with any disease, your chances are increased by being in close contact to high numbers of people. You can't protect your child from everything...even with the vaccination. The Disneyland outbreak was a case in point as several of the people who got measles were vaccinated (more were not). Call your doctor and ask his advice. Honestly, I would not be overly concerned as the measles outbreak from Disneyland is a RARE occurrence in the US and seems to have run it's course. Just use common sense and take your child to the Dr. if anything is amiss. Measles is highly treatable and rarely deadly anymore for the rare people who get it in civilized nations. Have fun!

 

[momof2n2]

OP - In Feb I asked my ped a similar question. Not the same one as my youngest is two. But I asked if we should all (Mom/Dad/6 kids) get titers drawn to check immunity. We are driving from NY to OR this summer and the small outbreak had me concerned. All this to say my it did cause my ped to pause and think. We decided to watch the trend to see if cases continued to peak. (They seem not to be.)

Just to let you know you aren't the only one questioning it.

 

[nilla]

A few years back, we traveled to WDW right at the peak of the swine flu scare. There was an entire group of Mexican students with face masks at the airport. My wife was all but freaking out over it.

Well, no one got swine flu, but three of us did get a completely unrelated stomach virus.

Moral of the story: you never know what can happen, so just be smart and sanitary, and don't worry!

 

[Mikie]

Not specific to the measles, but when my oldest was young and not fully vaccinated I asked my ped a similar question. He said he was more worried about bringing her to a family reunion where everyone would be touching her and kissing on her than to a crowded venue where she's simply out in the world.

check with your own dr, but barring special circumstances and since there's no outbreak of anything, wash your hands, don't pass your baby around to strangers and have a good time!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are headed down in 2 weeks with our 3 month old and our pediatrician is perfectly fine with it. He has had his 1st set of shots (not measles obviously) and we are good to go.
Unless you don't leave your house ever with your little one, you can't protect him/her from everything. Germs and illness are everywhere. You can't live in a bubble.

 

[JJsmama]

Our son is 12 months old and we are taking him to wdw. He is up to date on his vaccinations but hasn't had his measles shot yet. Should be be concerned about traveling with him? Should we try and get him the shot before we leave on monday?

Yes, he will be at risk but honestly he is more at risk at play group or Preschool, etc. I am not blowing off your concern. I am an at home mom of 3 for many years now. (Plus, I lived with my children for 7 years in an underdeveloped country for Dh's job...). Truth is, a 12 month old won't be touching that much. He will be in the stroller or carried at almost every moment. You are not going to let him chew on the table at disney or give him some random shared toy or hand him over to a stranger to hold. Give him his own toys to hold/ chew on. Take hand santitizer and wash his hands with soap frequently. Let him enjoy touching things like the honey wall in Pooh and then just keep him distracted and hands out of mouth until you wash them. In most rides you would take him on, you would have your own space. Keep him out of crowded kids play areas. It is not that difficult to avoid being smashed into crowds at disney. Go at opening, leave when it gets crowded after lunch, take a break at pool or hotel, look for non crowded spots if you want to watch parades (move off Main Street )...

Go and have fun. If measles were epidemic at disney, the CDC would shut it down. The only other thing you can do is postpone the trip until well after his vaccine. Shouldn't he have gotten at least one MMR by now anyway?

 

[staceyeileen]

I'm curious why you're concerned about measles specifically. There hasn't been a measles outbreak in Florida or anything. The reports on the news lately have been about Disneyland in CA.

 

[disnut8]

I'm curious why you're concerned about measles specifically.

I think it might have to do with the age of the child. Measles vaccine might not be reliably under the age of one year old. However, the chance that an unvaccinated child is going to be exposed to measles while at Disney World considering how that is spread is not that great. I think many more people come home with a cold or that rash like thing than with the measles.

 

[Feralpeg]

There was a case of measles reported recently in Central Florida. A traveler from a foreign country went to a medical facility here and was diagnosed with measles. I've not heard of any other cases in the area.