SPRINGDALE (KFSM) — The Arkansas Department of Health will be giving out mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) and flu vaccines on Wednesday (Sept. 21) in response to the ongoing mumps outbreak in Northwest Arkansas.
The ADH will set up the Washington County Health Unit at the Jones Center in Springdale and will offer the vaccines from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a press release. Those with insurance should bring their card, but those without insurance will still receive the vaccines.
Normally someone with two doses of the MMR vaccine is considered up-to-date. However, with the recent outbreak, the ADH has changed their recommendations for those who are close to the mumps outbreak.
The ADH recommends children 10 and older who attend a school where mumps cases have been reported should get a MMR vaccine, even if they’ve already had two doses. They also recommend that adults in Springdale who have had less than two doses, or who are unsure about their vaccination records, get an MMR vaccine.
Getting two doses of the MMR vaccine is 88 percent effective in preventing mumps. However, since the vaccine is a live virus, the vaccination is not recommended for those who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
The current CDC recommendations for MMR vaccination are as follows:
- For children younger than 6 years of age, one dose of MMR vaccine or MMRV (Measles,Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella) vaccine at age 12-15 months, followed by a second dose of either MMR vaccine or MMRV vaccine at age 4-6 years.
- For children age 7 through 18 years not previously vaccinated, one dose of MMR vaccine or MMRV vaccine, followed by a second dose of either MMR vaccine or MMRV vaccine at least 4 weeks after the first dose.
- For adults born in 1957 or later and not previously vaccinated, one dose of MMR vaccine.
- A second dose of MMR vaccine is recommended for adults born in 1957 or later, who are students in a post-secondary educational institution, work in a health care facility, or plan to travel internationally. The second dose should be administered a minimum of 28 days after the first dose.
