Measles Booster Vaccine In UK
April 12, 2025 5:15 AM Subscribe
My wife is a US citizen living overseas, and she was born when the medical recommendation was to only get one shot of the MMR vaccine, so that's all she got. She has an upcoming trip to the US that she can't put off, but it's to a part of the country that has a lot of measles and she's hoping to get another shot - we're trying to figure out if it's possible to get one in the UK. More details inside.
She can't get it done in the country we're living in. She has ties to the UK and is thinking of hopping over there for a few days before she goes to get vaccinated, but family there can't get a straight answer about whether she'd be able to get the shot from Boots or Superdrug without any input from a GP. Does anyone know whether she could just walk in (or maybe make an appointment) either place and get the shot? How much is it likely to cost? She'd probably be going to Manchester, but she could also go to London if need be.
She can't get it done in the country we're living in. She has ties to the UK and is thinking of hopping over there for a few days before she goes to get vaccinated, but family there can't get a straight answer about whether she'd be able to get the shot from Boots or Superdrug without any input from a GP. Does anyone know whether she could just walk in (or maybe make an appointment) either place and get the shot? How much is it likely to cost? She'd probably be going to Manchester, but she could also go to London if need be.
Response by poster: Thanks - we've seen that, but it seems mainly for people who haven't had it at all, which is what seems to be confusing both us and the staff members family have talked to in a couple of superdrug stores. It talks about needing two doses but I thought the booster doses which people are talking about in the US are just one?
posted by eternalhedgehog at 5:32 AM on April 12
posted by eternalhedgehog at 5:32 AM on April 12
Both doses of the MMR vaccine are the same, so from that standpoint it shouldn’t matter. Thinking about this logically, if vaccination records in the UK are available, they’ll see she needs 1 additional dose, and if they’re not, they’ll assume she needs 2 and give her the first one, which for her purposes is the same thing.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:21 AM on April 12 [3 favorites]
posted by rhymedirective at 6:21 AM on April 12 [3 favorites]
Not a medical professional and you should talk to one - my take away from various news reports was that a booster is simply a second dose of a vaccine after the first series is completed. So for a vaccine where the prime series is or was a single shot, any additional dose should act as booster.
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:30 AM on April 12
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:30 AM on April 12
There is no original dose plus two booster doses - there are just two identical doses, period, but spaced apart. If she has already received one dose (even if it was decades ago) that is considered to be the first dose. After that, under certain circumstances (traveling internationally being one of them) a second dose is recommended. She has had one shot, so one more shot is recommended.
posted by SageTrail at 6:34 AM on April 12
posted by SageTrail at 6:34 AM on April 12
Response by poster: Thanks all! I think I was overthinking as I was confused about whether there was a difference between original/booster doses; appreciate the answers from everyone.
posted by eternalhedgehog at 6:41 AM on April 12
posted by eternalhedgehog at 6:41 AM on April 12
Just wanted to add that she can also get a test to see if her previous vaccine is still effective. My entire family did this the last time there was a measles outbreak in the US and found that we were all still covered, so did not get a booster.
posted by Toddles at 7:37 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
posted by Toddles at 7:37 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
Yes, yes, seconding what Toddles said. Here is a text that I sent to my son who was born in 1981:
"Just so you know, doctors recommend two doses of the measles vaccine, but people vaccinated between 1968 and 1989 just got one dose. So that includes you. Your doctor can give you a titer test to see if you have enough immunity. Or you can just get a second shot."
posted by SageTrail at 8:28 AM on April 12 [1 favorite]
"Just so you know, doctors recommend two doses of the measles vaccine, but people vaccinated between 1968 and 1989 just got one dose. So that includes you. Your doctor can give you a titer test to see if you have enough immunity. Or you can just get a second shot."
posted by SageTrail at 8:28 AM on April 12 [1 favorite]
Per the CDC, the first dose provides 93% efficacy. The second dose brings the efficacy slightly up to 97%, but this is not a situation where each dose provides 50% of the protection.
posted by moosetracks at 2:50 PM on April 12
posted by moosetracks at 2:50 PM on April 12
But keep in mind that for those have received only one dose between 1968 and 1989, the efficacy could have waned by now to a significant degree. That's why either a titer test or a second dose is recommended for them.
posted by SageTrail at 4:02 PM on April 12 [1 favorite]
posted by SageTrail at 4:02 PM on April 12 [1 favorite]
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posted by koahiatamadl at 5:21 AM on April 12 [1 favorite]