ELIZABETH: OKAY.
THE MILEY
THE HILEY
THE HIGEY
THE HIGHLY CON STAGE YOUS
MEASLES DISEASE IS QUICKLY
SPREADING.
555 INDIVIDUALS CONFIRMED CASES
OF THE MEASLES IN 20 STATES.
NEARLY 90 MORE PEOPLE THAN THE
WEEK PRIOR.
WE WELCOME TO THE SHOW THE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY
AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE DIRECTOR.
DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US.
IS THIS MEASLES STRAIN GETTING
STRONGER?
>> NO, I DON'T THINK IT'S A
QUESTION OF THE MEASLES STRAIN
GETTING STRONGER.
IT'S QUESTION OF THE PROPORTION
OF PEOPLE IN CERTAIN COMMUNITIES
THAT ARE UNVACCINATED AND
UNPROTECTED.
LIKE WE'RE SEE IN THE OUTBREAK
IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE
WILLIAMSBURG SECTION OF BROOKLYN
WHERE THE ENCLOSED COMMUNITY HAS
A VERY LOW RATE OF VACCINATIONS.
AND WHEN YOU GET BELOW A CERTAIN
CRITICAL LEVEL AND THEN YOU
INTRODUCE MEASLES INTO THAT
COMMUNITY, YOU GET THE KIND OF
OUTBREAK THAT WE'RE SEEING IN
NEW YORK CITY AND IN ROCKLAND
COUNTY, NEW YORK.
IT HAS TO DO WITH A LACK OF
VACCINATION.
ELIZABETH: YOU MAKE AN IMPORTANT
POINT.
PEOPLE ARE SCARED, SOME I'VE
TALKED TO, THEY SAID WHY SHOULD
WE GET ON A PLANE WITH THIS
OUTBREAK WITH PEOPLE NOT GETTING
VACCINATED.
WHAT PREVENTIVE MEASURES SHOULD
PEOPLE BE TAKING SEPARATE FROM
VACCINATIONS?
>> VACCINATION IS IT.
IF YOU HAVE YOUR FULL COMPONENT
OF VACCINES, YOU GET VACCINATED
WHEN YOU'RE 12 TO 15 MONTHS OLD
AND THEN A BOOSTER AT 4 TO 6
YEARS, YOU'RE PROTECTED.
WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS.
SO I DON'T THINK PEOPLE SHOULD
IN ANY SENSE FEEL AFRAID IF THEY
HAVE BEEN VACCINATED.
WHEN THERE IS AN OUTBREAK IN A
IMHEUNT, OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT TO
STAY AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE
INFECTED BECAUSE IT'S A VERY
VERY TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASE.
ONE OF THE MOST CONTAGIOUS
VIRUSES THAT WE KNOW.
WHICH IS THE REASON WE'RE HAVING
THESE OUTBREAKS IN COMMUNITIES
WITH LOW LEVEL VACS
WITH LOW LEVEL VACCINATIONS.
ELIZABETH: WE'RE SEEING REPORTS
THAT SAY THAT PEOPLE BORN
BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 1957 AND
1989 COULD BE AT A GREATER RISK
OF CONTRASTING MEASLES BECAUSE
THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN ONLY ONE
DOSE OF THE VACCINE.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> THAT IS TRUE.
BECAUSE AFTER THAT PERIOD OF
TIME IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT
EVERYBODY WAS GETTING THE TWO
DOSES THAT I JUST MENTIONED.
IT'S INTERESTING, IF YOU WERE
BORN BEFORE 1957 THE CHANCES ARE
OVERWHELMING THAT YOU DID GET
INFECTED WITH MEASLES AND
THEREFORE YOU'RE VERY LIKELY
PROTECTED FOR LIFE.
BUT FROM '57, FOR SEVERAL YEARS
THEREAFTER, THEY HAD NOT GIVEN
OR MANY TIMES THEY DID NOT GIVE
THE DOUBLE DOSE, THE PRIME AND
THE BOOST.
ELIZABETH: WHAT SHOULC PEOPLE
BORN DURING THAT TIME PERIOD DO?
>> FIRST OF ALL, IF THERE'S NO
OUTBREAK, I WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT
IT.
BUT IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY
WANT TO BE PROTECTED, THEY CAN
GET A BOOST FROM THEIR
PHYSICIAN.
BUT WE DON'T RECOMMEND THAT
BROADLY UNLESS YOU'RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF AN OUTBREAK AND
EXPOSED TO INDIVIDUALS INFECTED.
FOR EXAMPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY
THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN NEW
YORK CITY, IF THERE ARE PEOPLE
THERE WHO FEEL THEY'RE
UNDERVACCINATED WITH A SINGLE
DOSE, THEY SHOULD LIKELY CONSULT
THEIR PHYSICIAN ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF GETTING A BOOSTER
DOSE.
ELIZABETH: I WANT TO WORK IN ONE
QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE SUPER
BUG FUNGUS THAT WE'VE BEEN
COVERING ON THE SHOW.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THIS STORY?
>> IT'S A CAN
>> IT'S A FAN
>> IT'S A FUN GIS
>> IT'S A FUNGUIS
>> IT'S A FUNGUSS
>> IT'S A FUNGUS THAT WOULD NOT
GIVE YOU TROUBLE BUT THIS IS
VERY RESISTANT.
WE'RE HAVING HOSPITAL OUTBREAKS
BUT IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF
ONCE IT GETS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
OF THE HOSPITAL.