As the cases are climbing in the US, do you need another measles shot?

A few weeks before the birth of his new child, Kyle Rable and his pregnant wife have changed anxious messages throughout the day, asking how they could best keep their future son -in -law.

“It is practically both our constant thoughts all the time,” said Mr. Rable, whose wife gave birth to their son, Steven, earlier this month, in the same hospital in Lubbock, Texas, where a child died of measles just a week before.

The outbreak in the west of Texas has raised the alarm for parents throughout the state and in the wider region, especially for those who have young children who still cannot be immunized.

The measles vaccine is not generally recommended for children under one year, because photos do not work as well before that age, doctors say.

It is a two -dose vaccine. Usually, children are given the first blow between 12 and 15 months, and then another between 4 and 6 years.

But for young children living near a measles outbreak, pediatricians can recommend a younger age, between six and 11 months, said Stuart Ray, a teacher of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins.

Mr. Rable intends to ask about the vaccination plans for the two-week control of his son and will “100%” vaccinate his child in time if the doctor recommends him.

The children vaccinated before a year still need two additional standard doses of measles vaccine, said Dr. Ray.

“He has no harm in obtaining additional doses,” said Tony Moody, a pediatric professor at Duke University School of Medicine. “The decision to get an early MMR (measles, mumps and rubelle) should be a conversation between the family and their pediatric.”

Children can receive a second dose from 28 days after their first blow.

“The vaccine begins to provide a certain protection within a few weeks from the first dose,” said Dr. Ray.