New York Times Editorial - The measles vaccine follies
New York Times Editorial - The measles vaccine follies
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 9, 2006
Irrational fears of vaccination seem to have been responsible for an outbreak of measles in Indiana last year. It was a sad example of how parents who think they are protecting their children by shunning a vaccine can end up doing them harm.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause a rash, fever, diarrhea and, in severe cases, pneumonia, encephalitis and even death. Worldwide, it infects 30 million people and causes more than 450,000 deaths a year. In the United States, measles was once a common childhood disease, but it had been largely eliminated by 2000, thanks mostly to compulsory immunization of schoolchildren.
The outbreak in Indiana last year, which was detailed in a recent report in The New England Journal of Medicine, provided evidence of what can happen to a triumph of public health when a community lets its guard down. A 17-year-old unvaccinated girl who visited an orphanage in Romania on a church mission picked up the virus there.
When the girl returned, she attended a gathering of 500 church members that included many other unvaccinated children. Most had been schooled at home and thus avoided compulsory shots. By the time the outbreak had run its course, 34 people had become ill. Three were hospitalized, including one with life- threatening complications.
Families that evade vaccination put themselves and their neighbors at risk. All young children, not just those attending school, should be required to get immunized.
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 9, 2006
Irrational fears of vaccination seem to have been responsible for an outbreak of measles in Indiana last year. It was a sad example of how parents who think they are protecting their children by shunning a vaccine can end up doing them harm.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause a rash, fever, diarrhea and, in severe cases, pneumonia, encephalitis and even death. Worldwide, it infects 30 million people and causes more than 450,000 deaths a year. In the United States, measles was once a common childhood disease, but it had been largely eliminated by 2000, thanks mostly to compulsory immunization of schoolchildren.
The outbreak in Indiana last year, which was detailed in a recent report in The New England Journal of Medicine, provided evidence of what can happen to a triumph of public health when a community lets its guard down. A 17-year-old unvaccinated girl who visited an orphanage in Romania on a church mission picked up the virus there.
When the girl returned, she attended a gathering of 500 church members that included many other unvaccinated children. Most had been schooled at home and thus avoided compulsory shots. By the time the outbreak had run its course, 34 people had become ill. Three were hospitalized, including one with life- threatening complications.
Families that evade vaccination put themselves and their neighbors at risk. All young children, not just those attending school, should be required to get immunized.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 10:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home