Anti-Vaccination Movement is Being Blamed for Bringing Measles Back

Here at Kids Activities Blog we really concentrate on bringing you sunshine and rainbows…and skip the political stuff.  So this is a hard one.  It is something that we are seeing in the news every day.  Something that affects our kids.  Something that affects us as a society.  For me, personally, this is one debate that I can clearly see both sides of and don’t even know exactly what side I would choose if I was pushed to make a decision.  That is why we decided to go ahead and put this information out.  Please know this is not pushing one side or the other…it is simply letting you know what we are seeing just in case you are researching for your own knowledge.  -Holly

The U.S. Measles outbreak has been all over the news the past few weeks and while most everyone has been focused on whether or not their vaccinations work, others have been busy trying to pinpoint the cause of the outbreak. The recent finger pointing has been towards the Anti-Vaccination Movement who is Being Blamed for Bringing Measles Back. The thing is, it’s not just pro-vaccine parents pointing the finger at the anti-vax movement, heath professionals are as well.   

“We can say — and I can say as the director of the CDC — that vaccination does not cause autism. It’s really important,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, says. https://t.co/Cd0mpNG4uK

— NPR (@NPR) April 28, 2019

In a recent interview, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said:

“The biggest challenge we face right now is misinformation and myths about the vaccine. It’s important that parents realize that the vaccine is safe and effective.” (Source)

Public health officials claim the outbreak in the US has been fueled in part by misinformation being spread about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which some parents believe can cause autism. One example is of an anti-vaccination organization known as PEACH that has published a 40-page booklet, filled with misinformation and discredited science about why it says vaccines are unsafe. Discredited claims included are that vaccines cause autism and are made of aborted fetuses. (Source)

Health officials have been trying to point out that the MMR vaccine has been effective in eliminating the Measles from the U.S. almost entirely by proving Measles was declared eliminated (absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months) from the United States in 2000. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region. (Source)

As of April 26, more than 70% of the 704 people with confirmed measles since January 1 were unvaccinated. On-time vaccination with two doses of MMR vaccine is the most effective way to limit the spread of measles virus. Read the recent @CDCMMWR: https://t.co/9yjDuB4lrB pic.twitter.com/lJmrQDBk33

— CDC (@CDCgov) April 29, 2019

But now, the CDC reports that from January 1 to April 26, 2019, 704** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 22 states. This is an increase of 78 cases from the previous week. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The states that have reported cases to CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington. (Source) The CDC says that outbreaks like this can occur for 2 reasons:

• an increase in the number of travelers who get measles abroad and bring it into the U.S., and/or
• further spread of measles in U.S. communities with pockets of unvaccinated people. (Source)

Aside from health professionals begging people to vaccinate their children, other parents are taking this opportunity to share why it’s important for others to get vaccinated when their children simply can’t.  

At 5 months, Walter Blum was too young to be vaccinated when he got measles. His mother says the community “failed us.” https://t.co/swKLNReqFx pic.twitter.com/dQDVFRQJc1

— CNN (@CNN) April 29, 2019

No matter how you view vaccines, it is important to know the risks and benefits to vaccines. It’s also important to keep in mind why some parents may not vaccinate their kids. Some simply can’t due to age, a medical condition or possibly a religious conflict and in those cases, we have to respect the reasoning and do everything we can to protect those children or people that have no chance at becoming immune. Related Read: IF YOU WERE BORN BEFORE 1989 YOU NEED ANOTHER MEASLES VACCINE. YOURS WON’T WORK