To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate?
Posted by Michelle Moquin on March 28th, 2014
That is the question.
Good morning!
From Think Progress:
Measles Is Spreading In Our Largest Cities Because People Aren’t Vaccinating Their Kids
New York City is currently grappling with a measles outbreak. Health officials have identified 16 cases of the highly contagious infectious disease, resulting in at least six hospitalizations, and are now warning unvaccinated individuals that they need to get their shots.
And New York isn’t the only place where measles — which was once so rare that it was virtually eradicated in the U.S. back in 2000 — is cropping up again. Within the past two months, health officials have also identified cases in the Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Dallas areas. Measles have also recently been reported in suburban areas in Connecticut and Illinois.
Just one case of measles can pose a huge public health threat, since it has the potential to be transmitted quickly. It can spread through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. For instance, last month, thousands of California commuters were potentially exposed to the disease after an unvaccinated man with the measles rode public transportation.
Many of the measles outbreaks here in the U.S. originate after an unvaccinated individual has traveled abroad and contracted the disease there. Then, when they return to this country, they can spread measles among pockets of other unvaccinated people. This isn’t an issue if most people simply get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. That’s why San Francisco didn’t experience a larger outbreak after the recent public transportation scare there — the rates of MMR vaccination in that city are high.
But, thanks to ongoing anti-vaccine propaganda, that’s not necessarily the case everywhere. An increasing number of parents are choosing to forgo their kids’ MMR shot based on scientifically inaccurate claims that it can lead to autism. The actress and model Jenny McCarthy, who’s a prominent anti-vaccine activist, has a lot to do with that. By 2008, about one in four adults reported they were familiar with McCarthy’s views about vaccines, and 40 percent of them said her claims led them to question vaccine safety. This issue hasn’t died down since then; just this week, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and his wife, former reality TV star Kristin Cavallari, said they won’t vaccinate their kids over fears about autism.
Federal health officials have already been able to connect the dots here. Last fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report warning that anti-vaccine beliefs have fueled a rise in measles cases. Researchers noted that 2013 saw the highest number of measles cases in nearly two decades, and 80 percent of those cases occurred among unvaccinated people — most of whom cited “philosophical differences” with the MMR vaccine.
“I hope that those who are vaccine hesitant or vaccine avoidant realize there are consequences to their actions,” Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University who partnered with the CDC to publicize the release of that report, said back in September. “None of us lives in isolation.”
Nonetheless, this continues to be a contentious issue on the state level. Vaccine requirements vary, and some states allow parents to easily opt their kids out of the necessary shots by simply signing a form. Even though vaccine exemptions have been directly tied to infectious disease outbreaks, some state residents continue to resist efforts to crack down on those loopholes.
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March 28th, 2014 at 2:50 pm
Hi Mischa, this is a conundrum for most parents, I’m against it but some schools make it mandatory which makes it a struggle to act as an independent parent.
Robert, I’m not actually necessary to facilitate this blog though I’m sure sometimes it looks that way.
Luv, Zen Lill
March 30th, 2014 at 11:37 am
At this time of global uncertainty and domestic rebuilding, we need strong Democratic leadership more than ever.
In the Senate, we must support strong Democratic candidates in the face of Republican challengers. If we let the Senate slip to the Republicans, I am worried not only for the impact it would have on America’s standing abroad, but also for the livelihoods of hard-working citizens across our country that might be left behind.
When the team at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked me to stand with them, I enthusiastically agreed, and continue to support the mission – because I believe that to maintain American leadership and keep our country safe we need a strong Democratic majority in the Senate.
March 30th, 2014 at 11:38 am
You are too modest Zen Lill.
March 30th, 2014 at 9:28 pm
I agree with you Zen Lill. As a parent it is very difficult to know what to do. Who do you trust when the government can’t get the republicans to fund the departments charged with enforcing the laws that protect us from the pharmaceutical industry.