Mandatory Vaccinations: The Only Cure for the Measles Epidemic

Rarely does a nation reverse course on health progress. However, by allowing a lenient policy on the measles vaccination, we have done just that. Despite measles being declared eliminated in 2000, we are experiencing a nationwide measles epidemic in 22 states, including Maryland, with over 700 cases reported. That's the greatest number of cases reported in a single year. More than 500 of the people infected in 22 states were not vaccinated.

Each year, immunizations prevent more than 2.5 million deaths, just through vaccination against four diseases - diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles. It should be noted that there are no cures and no treatment for measles and no way to predict how bad a case will be.

Measles is the most contagious virus and can be deadly, especially for babies and young children. It can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, brain damage and hearing loss. The virus can be spread by direct contact with infectious droplets or through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Someone is contagious for four days before the rash appears, and for four days after it begins. The incubation period spans 7 to 21 days, according to Maryland's public health services. The measles can circulate in the air for as long as two hours after the infected person leaves the room.

CDC officials blame misinformation for low vaccination rates. Anti-vaccine groups have spread inaccurate and misleading information which discredit the safety of vaccines and minimize the dangers of measles. Many parents fear vaccines will cause autism. That is pure bunk! That baseless claim stems from a 1998 study by the then-Dr. Andrew Wakefield which appeared in the Lancet, a prestigious medical journal. Other studies debunked the Wakefield study and Lancet retracted it. Dr. Wakefield is just plain Andrew Wakefield today because his medical license was taken away as a direct result of the unscientific and falsified information contained in his so-called study. Yet, the Wakefield false claims linger on and deter large numbers of parents from vaccinating their children.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that children receive the measles, mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine at age 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years old. Pediatric chiefs of every major hospital in Maryland, as well as the Baltimore County Department of Health, are united and emphatic in urging vaccination for all children. Maryland's MMR vaccination rate among school age children is 98.6%, above the national average of 92% and the second highest in the nation.

Many states, including New Jersey, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona are preventing measles outbreaks by contemplating getting rid of the religious exemptions parents can claim to keep their children from getting vaccinated. After the measles outbreak in California, which was connected to children who visited Disneyland in 2015, that state got rid of most exemptions that let parents opt out of vaccinations. In Maryland, parents can opt out of vaccinations for their children for religious reasons by merely signing a form. They don't have to prove their religious affiliation. As I see it, every child who has not been vaccinated is a danger to him/herself and all other children. That deadly health threat cannot be allowed to stand.