ERs show vaccine gaps
- University of California, Riverside researchers found persistent measles vaccine gaps among emergency-room patients. - The gaps were notable among patients less connected to routine preventive care. - The researchers warned that emergency-department vaccine shortfalls can make outbreak control harder (bioengineer.org).
Measles vaccine gaps are showing up in U.S. emergency rooms, where a University of California, Riverside-led study found many adults were not up to date on protection. (eurekalert.org) Measles spreads through the air and can linger after an infected person leaves a room. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says two doses of measles vaccine are 97% effective, while one dose is 93% effective. (cdc.gov) The new study was published in the *American Journal of Emergency Medicine* and focused on adults visiting emergency departments, or hospital ERs. The paper says adult measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination knowledge and uptake are poorly tracked, especially among people whose only regular care comes through the ER. (sciencedirect.com) Researchers found sizable gaps in knowledge, vaccination status, and willingness to get the measles, mumps, and rubella shot among ER patients across the United States. The study said many patients who were missing the vaccine would accept it if it were offered during the visit. (eurekalert.org; sciencedirect.com) That matters as measles cases have climbed sharply again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 48 outbreaks were reported in 2025, with 2,288 confirmed cases, compared with 16 outbreaks and 285 cases in 2024. (cdc.gov) Emergency departments see patients who often miss routine checkups, vaccine reminders, and primary-care follow-up. A 2024 survey in 10 emergency departments across eight U.S. cities found 21.0% of participants lacked a source of primary health care, and 85.9% had missed one or more recommended vaccines. (cdc.gov) In that same Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 46.4% of adults who were not up to date said they would accept one or more missing vaccines if the ER offered them. The report said emergency departments could be used for screening, counseling, referrals, and vaccination efforts in underserved populations. (cdc.gov) Current CDC guidance says most adults need either documented immunity or at least one dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, with two doses advised for higher-risk groups such as health care workers and international travelers. The agency also says providers should not rely on verbal reports alone as proof of vaccination. (cdc.gov) The U.C. Riverside team’s warning is narrow but practical: if vaccine gaps are concentrated in ER populations, outbreaks can be harder to contain because the people most likely to show up there are often the least connected to preventive care. (eurekalert.org; sciencedirect.com)
