Protection from vaccines may wane faster than expected

There is growing evidence that vaccines for influenza, mumps, pertussis, meningococcal disease, and yellow fever lose their effectiveness faster than indicated by existing studies, according to reports.

An April 18, 2019 Science article discussed several recent studies that have examined the durability of vaccines, including a recent review of the influenza vaccine that concluded that the effectiveness of the vaccine can fade within 90 days of receiving it.

The recent surge in mumps cases in the U.S. has renewed conversations about how long the mumps vaccine can provide protection. The article noted that Yonatan Grad, Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, recently studied data on mumps outbreaks and found that the disease disproportionately strikes people between 18 and 29 years of age. The findings indicate that the vaccine loses effectiveness over time.

Grad told Science that the risk of developing mumps doesn’t just hinge on whether an individual has been vaccinated, but that exposure to the disease is also a factor. “Protection from a vaccine is not all or nothing,” Grad said. “The more exposed you are, the likelier you are to get infected.”

Read the Science article: How long do vaccines last? The surprising answers may help protect people longer