Measles and Vaccine Hesitancy

Host: Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Guest: Gregory A. Poland, M.D.

Measles is a viral illness that very recently was considered rare in this country but unfortunately has seen a resurgence in recent times. It’s highly contagious and can lead to severe complications including encephalitis and potentially death. There is an effective vaccine and it’s typically administered along with mumps and rubella as the MMR. The vaccine was introduced in the 1960’s and resulted in a dramatic reduction in the incidence of measles. Despite overwhelming evidence of the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, vaccine hesitancy has resulted in measles outbreaks in communities with lower immunization rates. The topic for today’s podcast is measles and my guest is Greg A. Poland, M.D., a general internist and vaccine research specialist at the Mayo Clinic. We’ll discuss the clinical manifestations of measles, the measles vaccine, vaccine hesitancy and how we as clinicians can most effectively educate our patients about measles.

Connect with us and learn more here: https://ce.mayo.edu/online-education/content/mayo-clinic-podcasts

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