Public Health hosts MMR vaccine clinic

Mesa County Public Health is hosting a vaccine clinic for the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine. 

Clinic Details

• Saturday, April 26
• 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Public Health Clinic
• First floor of the Health and Human Services Building
• 510 29 ½ Road in Grand Junction

Walk-ins will be accepted during the vaccine clinic, however appointments are preferred in order to ensure a quick and easy visit. To schedule an appointment, call us at 970-248-6906. Bring vaccine records if possible, as well as your insurance card. Our Public Health Clinic accepts most insurance. There are low cost and no cost options for people without insurance, so cost does not have to be a barrier. 

Who should get the vaccine

• Children ages 12 through 15 months should get the first dose, with a second dose at 4 years of age. 
• Older children and adolescents who have not already received 2 doses of MMR vaccine.
• Infants, 6 through 11 months of age, who will be traveling internationally or to places within the U.S. where measles is actively spreading.
• People born 1957 or later, who were not vaccinated previously or don’t have other evidence of immunity, especially:
  • College students
  • People traveling internationally
  • Healthcare workers
• Adults given an MMR vaccine between 1963 and 1967. They may have gotten a different measles vaccine that was less effective than the one currently in use.

Background

The MMR vaccine is the best protection against measles. Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Generally, symptoms begin with a fever, cough, and runny nose. Three to five days after symptoms start, a rash breaks out at the hairline and spreads downward.

Measles can be serious for all age groups, but complications are more common in children under five years old and adults with weakened immune systems. One in five people with measles is hospitalized, while one in 20 develops pneumonia.

Local situation

No measles cases have been confirmed in Mesa County. Our team has been preparing for a potential measles response. We are fully prepared to act quickly if a case is confirmed in our community.