Baby Development – CDC Says Current Measles Outbreak May be Due to Parents Who Decide Not to Vaccinate

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

Now that we may have put one big debate behind us, that of toy safety, the vaccine quandary is back in full effect.  Whether or not to have a child vaccinated, despite the current debate, is often a taboo subject to discuss.  Rumors swirling around schoolyards and websites dedicated to making parents dubious of vaccines leave parents confused.  It appears even the smallest inkling of doubt, despite the lack of significant scientific evidence to prove vaccines are harmful, is enough for parents to opt out of vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say 131 people were infected with measles from January to July in 15 US states, warning that 2008 isn’t over yet.  This is the highest rate of measles since 1996, possibly due to the increased number of parents opting out of vaccines.  When investigating from whom and where the measles cases came from, they found:

• 75% were under 20 years old
  

• 89% had traveled to or were coming from other countries, particularly Europe

• 91% had not been vaccinated or had unknown vaccination status
  

Prior to the introduction of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubeola) vaccine in the mid 1960’s, measles cases resulted in about 450 deaths per year and 4000 yearly cases of encephalitis (brain inflammation).  Yet after 30 years of the vaccine program, the disease has virtually been wiped out.  There was a measles outbreak between 1989-1991; when immunization rates dropped significantly among preschoolers.  Despite the misnomer that measles is just a rash, it can result in lasting health problems such as brain damage and death and currently affects 20 million people worldwide.  A study several months ago found that the benefits of vaccines outweighed the risks, yet more and more parents are opting out of vaccines for personal reasons.  Some parents have even gone as far as to say they would rather risk getting measles than any side-effect a vaccine might impose.

MSNBC brings up yet another interesting angle of the vaccine debate and that is stigmatization of the un-vaccinated child.  Avoiding a confrontation, many parents who have opted out of vaccines choose not to discuss the matter with other mothers.  Some parents feel they should be told upfront which children are not immunized, however, many mothers say it isn’t anybody else’s business and labeling is both unnecessary and unconstitutional.  Yet if your child is vaccinated and his playmate is not, your child is protected and the odds of him contracting measles are very small.

What You Can Do
Choosing whether or not to vaccinate your child is a very personal decision, one that only you and your partner can decide.  It is important, however, to make an informed decision by discussing the matter thoroughly with your physician.  Unfortunately, this debate poses several serious questions without definitive answers.

 Resource:
"Update: Measles — United States, January-July 2008," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Aug. 22, 2008.