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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has made measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations readily available at all of its pharmacies in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.
The drug chain said the move comes as health officials in Tennessee recommended immunization because of a number of reported measles cases.
The vaccinations are available daily at Walgreens pharmacies and Healthcare Clinics on a walk-in basis and may be covered by insurance. Pharmacists and nurse practitioners can administer the MMR vaccine to people ages 7 and older in Mississippi and Tennessee; ages 14 and older in Kentucky; and ages 18 and older in Arkansas.
“We support the recommendations of health officials and stress that vaccination is the best protection against measles,” Gene Hoover, regional health care director for Walgreens, said in a statement. “Walgreens pharmacists and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners play an important role by providing more convenient access to vaccinations and other preventive services throughout the community.”
A highly contagious virus, measles spreads through the air via coughing or sneezing. People at high risk for severe illness and complications from measles include infants and children younger than 5, as well as adults ages 20 and older, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
