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New Guideline on Vaccines for People with MS

August 29, 2019

The American Academy of Neurology has released a new set of guidelines on the use and safety of vaccines in people with MS. The guidelines are based on a review of available scientific literature.
 
Key findings are as follows:
  • There is no definite evidence that vaccines increase the likelihood that a person will develop MS.
  • If you have MS, it’s appropriate for you to receive vaccines according to standard vaccine guidelines, including annual flu vaccines. Special considerations do exist, and are listed here.
  • Some vaccinations may not work as well in people taking certain disease-modifying therapies. If you use an MS disease-modifying therapy, talk with your MS healthcare provider about which vaccines are safe for you to receive and when it is safe to receive them.  (Read specific information on various therapies here.)
  • People  who are experiencing MS relapses should consider waiting until the relapse has passed before receiving a vaccine.
 
More information on vaccine safety is available here.
 
Decisions about the potential benefits and risks of any given immunization should be made in consultation with your healthcare providers, including your family physician and neurologist.
 
Read More
Read a summary of the new guidelines for patients
Read a summary for healthcare professionals

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, and there is currently no cure for MS. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men.

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