Chatham-Kent residents, specifically those between the ages of 23 and 49, are encouraged to check their medical records to ensure vaccines are up to date and that they received the proper amount when they were younger.
Dr. David Colby, medical officer of health for the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit, confirms that people born between 1970 and 1996 may be missing an MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.
"[They] may have had one MMR when you need two. So it's that group that we specifically ask to check their records," said Colby.
He also mentioned that people born before 1970 are presumed to be immune.
Measles cases and scares have made headlines this past year, with one scare having been reported in Chatham-Kent in March.
Colby said measles is the most contagious infectious disease known so there is a certain level of concern when it comes to making sure residents are vaccinated.
"This disease is easy to stop in its tracks. It's the lack of vaccinations that is causing this spread and to have outbreaks," he said. "This immunization is safe, so much safer than measles, so much safer than mumps."
In order to prevent a measles outbreak in a community, Colby said it's best to have a vaccination rate at 95 per cent. Chatham-Kent has coverage of approximately 91 per cent, which Colby calls a "respectable number".
"If we can get our vaccination rates up to 95 per cent there will be no danger whatsoever of this spreading in our community," he said.
Residents in the 1970-1996 age bracket can double check if they have the two-shot vaccination by checking their records with a family doctor or with the health unit.
