A single dose of the measles vaccine is up to 2.6 times more likely to be completely ineffective in children born by C-section, compared to those born naturally, claims a study on Monday.
Measles is a highly
infectious disease preventable by vaccines. However, failure of the jab can
significantly increase the risk of an outbreak.
The study led by a team
of researchers from the universities of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan in China,
showed that a second measles jab is vital and induces a robust immunity against
measles in children born via C-section.
The study, published in
the journal Nature Microbiology, found that the vaccine's effect is linked to
the development of the child's gut microbiome -- the vast collection of
microbes that naturally live inside the gut. Vaginal birth is known to transfer
a greater variety of microbes from mother to baby, which can boost the immune
system.
“We've discovered that
the way we're born -- either by C-section or natural birth -- has long-term
consequences on our immunity to diseases as we grow up," said Professor
Henrik Salje in the University of Cambridge's Department of Genetics.
"Infants born by
C-section are the ones we really want to be following up to make sure they get
their second measles jab because their first jab is much more likely to
fail," he added.
At least 95 per cent of
the population needs to be fully vaccinated to keep measles under control.
For the study, the team
used data from previous studies of over 1,500 children in Hunan, China, which
included blood samples taken every few weeks from birth to the age of 12.
They found that 12 per
cent of children born via caesarean section had no immune response to their
first measles vaccination, as compared to 5 per cent of children born by
vaginal delivery.
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