Vaccines

St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentems tells us what you need to know about measles and how to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Measles can take hold when vaccination rates fall below 95%. Health workers say pockets of the state are at risk as immunization rates drop.

A person from out of state with measles reportedly visited the St. Louis Aquarium on April 30, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

State health officials said the pediatric patient tested positive for measles and that the case was a “associated with international travel.”

DHSS distributed the federal money in the form of grants and contracts to organizations such as the Missouri Immunization Coalition, which educates and advocates for immunizations.

The city’s health director said during a panel Friday she’s concerned falling vaccination rates and a lack of federal guidance could put the state’s community’s at risk.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported Jan. 7 the state is at a “high” level for respiratory illness activity. Between COVID, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and norovirus, some health care professionals say we are experiencing a “quademic."

The flu vaccine takes around two weeks to fully take effect. St. Louis County Executive Sam page is encouraging residents to book shots soon to protect themselves and others from getting sick over the holidays.

As levels of the coronavirus have increased in Missouri and across the country, the federal government has approved updated vaccines to protect against COVID-19. The virus itself has changed, and along with it, guidelines for how to keep others safe.

Researchers at the University of Missouri say they’ve created a new vaccine to protect cattle from bovine anaplasmosis. The disease is estimated to cost U.S. ranchers millions each year.