Opinion: Measles should be taken seriously. An outbreak is only a matter of time.
Published: 06-08-2025 11:00 AM |
The measles vaccine, given as the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, is very effective and safe. Millions of deaths have been prevented world-wide by the vaccine.
In 2000, there were 86 cases of measles reported to the CDC in the U.S. Measles was considered eliminated as these were isolated cases and there was no spread of the disease. So far, this year, as of May 1, 935 measles cases were reported and the numbers are steadily rising as vaccination rates are declining.
In 1998, Dr Andrew Wakefield published a paper in the Lancet, a British Medical Journal. The study described 12 children who developed a developmental disorder, such as autism, after receiving the MMR vaccine. It was discovered that data was falsified and children in the study were carefully chosen — a process described as scientific misrepresentation — and unethically subjected to unnecessarily invasive tests.
Importantly, Wakefield’s “research” was funded by lawyers involved in suing vaccine manufacturers. It was clear that Wakefield was guilty of fraud, and he lost his medical license. Since then, several careful, large-scale studies have not shown any connection between vaccines and autism. However, this started the myth of a connection between autism and vaccines, which was easily amplified by the internet and vaccine skeptics.
Robert F Kennedy, Jr, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has a long history of asserting a connection between measles vaccine and autism. In his current position, he has expressed mixed messages and falsehoods about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, leading some parents to become more hesitant about vaccinating their children.
In 2019, Kennedy traveled to Samoa during a measles outbreak, contributed to vaccine hesitancy and promoted alternative treatments, although he is obviously not a physician or a scientist. Thousands became ill, and 83 died — 79 of them were young children.
Kennedy prevented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from publishing a new expert assessment that found there is a high risk of becoming infected with measles in areas with low vaccination rates, according to a recent article by ProPublica. The CDC, also wanted to emphasize the importance of vaccinations. Instead, they released a statement that said “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.”
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Kennedy has gone on to make false claims that the measles vaccine contains “fetal debris” from aborted fetuses and that the mumps vaccine is ineffective. He has also promoted treatment with vitamin A, a steroid (budesonide) and an antibiotic (clarithromycin) without any scientific evidence.
To understand the importance of measles vaccination, the concept of herd immunity must be grasped. Measles is highly contagious. One person with measles can, on average, infect 12-18 people. In order, to protect the community, 95% of people need to be immune to measles so it doesn’t spread to those who aren’t vaccinated, have poor immune systems or the 3% of vaccinated people who can still become infected by measles.
In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it is predicted that over the next 25 years, there will be 850,000 cases of measles, 150,000 hospitalizations and 2500 deaths, based on the current level of vaccination.
The most common causes of death are due to pneumonia and brain infections. Long term complications include hearing loss, blindness and a rare fatal brain complication, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, that occurs years after infection. The study predicted that measles will become endemic, meaning it will be constantly present.
In addition, measles infection weakens the immune system and creates “immune amnesia.” In this situation, the child’s immune system “forgets” acquired immunity to previous infections. In other words, the child has to start over and get sick again from typical childhood infections to gain immunity. It is misinformation that infection with measles strengthens the immune system.
New Hampshire currently has an 89% vaccination rate for the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). So far, we’ve not had a reported case of measles. However, since measles is so contagious and our vaccine rate is not 95%, it’s only a matter of time until there will be an outbreak.
One of my earliest memories is of a “Sabin Sunday” in 1960. Millions of families went to schools and churches to swallow polio vaccines as a syrup or a sugar cube. I remember the entire neighborhood walking to the elementary school to get the vaccine. There was a sense of community and intense relief that this scourge could be eradicated.
Albert Sabin’s vaccine eliminated polio from the U.S., stopped worldwide epidemics and prevented 500,000 deaths and 5 million cases of paralysis. Among his many honors were the Nobel Prize and the U.S. National Medical of Science.
We need that sense of community and trust in medical science now to avert unnecessary suffering from a preventable illness.
Your doctor is the best source of reliable information, not RFK, Jr, the anti-health Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Daniel Hooberman is a retired psychiatrist and a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and New Hampshire Network. He lives in Laconia and wants to leave the world a better place for his three grandchildren.