By Kelly Evans Hullinger
MD FACP
It’s hard to look at your television or social media and not see a headline about some “superfood,” supplement, or other product promising to “boost immunity.” And who doesn’t want to boost immunity, especially in a year in which measles outbreaks are becoming routine? Genuinely, there is one entity available to us that, more than any other fad, will help our immunity and protect us against infection: vaccines.
Vaccines are one of the great miracles in the history of science serving humanity. Whereas in centuries before, seeing children and young people die of infectious diseases was a universal experience, vaccines have truly changed the world in that regard. Diseases like smallpox and polio have been wiped out after being something parents feared throughout human existence.
With the huge successes of vaccines, in some ways we as a society have forgotten their wonderful impact. Measles, up until the 1960’s a disease that was commonplace and resulted in unfortunate deaths of infants and children, was rarely seen after widespread vaccination in the late 20th century and early 2000’s. Unfortunately, because of declining rates of childhood vaccination, that is no longer true. Various misinformation campaigns and, probably, a general sense of insignificance (no new parents remember anyone having measles), are to blame.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that statistically requires about 95% vaccination rate in a population to achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity status gives protection to vulnerable individuals including those too young to vaccinate (infants under one year of age). We have seen large outbreaks of measles in numerous states this year, generally in communities where that herd immunity is not being achieved. And because measles is so highly contagious, kids who have not been vaccinated may have to miss school for weeks to stay safe. Most sadly, we have seen deaths this year in the US from a disease which was considered eliminated as recently as 2020. Let’s hope this isn’t a sign of other preventable infectious diseases making a comeback.
So, if you’re looking to boost your immunity this season, of course I recommend a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep. But if you want to make the biggest impact, talk to your doctor about vaccines and get caught up with evidence-based recommendations. Your immune system will thank you.