Outbreaks of vaccination-controllable diseases are spreading. When the number of measles cases hit 30 in Clark County, Wash., last month, the governor declared a state of emergency. The disease, which threatens brain function and life itself, was then reported in neighboring King County, as well as Oregon and Vancouver. At the same time, on the other side of the country, The New York Times reported that a measles outbreak had affected more than 200 people in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey. On both coasts, the numbers are expected to get a lot worse before they get better.
In Clark County, 7.9 percent of children were exempt from vaccines required for kindergarten entry, including the measles vaccine, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is 97 percent effective. Only 1.2 percent of those exemptions were for medical reasons.
It's estimated, reported The Times, that more than 40 percent of the New York and New Jersey children who contracted measles were not vaccinated, and the numbers could be much higher.
These episodes come on the heels of last year's startling measles outbreak in California, Missouri and 19 other states. A new study in JAMA stated, "although measles vaccination has saved more than 21 million lives since 2000, reported measles cases increased worldwide by 31 percent from 2016 to 2017 in large part because of falling vaccination coverage."
Here in the states, outbreaks of vaccination-preventable diseases can be attributed to nonimmunization or underimmunization of both children and adults, and unimmunized folks who travel to and from countries across the globe where these diseases are still widespread. All 50 states do require specified vaccines for public school students. Exemptions for medical reasons are universal, and almost all states grant religious exemptions. However at this time, 18 states also permit exemptions for philosophical beliefs.
Since 2009, the proportion of children missing recommended vaccinations has climbed in Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah. Seattle and Tacoma, Wash.; Portland, Ore., and Salt Lake City are some of the urban areas with the greatest number of exempt kids.
Only Mississippi, California and West Virginia ban all nonmedical exemptions for kids in school-Maine may become the fourth. What is the result of this ban? Mississippi, California and West Virginia have the highest MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rates and lowest incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
What are the diseases that vaccinations protect against? They include chickenpox; diphtheria; flu; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; HIB (Haemophilus Influenzae type B); HPV (human papillomavirus); measles; meningococcal; mumps; pneumococcal; polio; rotavirus; rubella (German measles); shingles; tetanus; and whooping cough (pertussis). Also preventable are anthrax; Japanese encephalitis; rabies; smallpox; tuberculosis; typhoid fever; and yellow fever, but you get those shots only if the need arises.
Globally, the World Health Organization says that while vaccines prevent 2 to 3 million deaths annually, another 1.5 million vaccine-preventable deaths could be avoided every year. They cite "complacency, inconvenience in accessing vaccines, and lack of confidence" as being among the top reasons people choose not to vaccinate.
If you're concerned about negative side effects from vaccines, check out the CDC's listing of all mild, moderate and severe reactions to each inoculation at cdc.gov; search for "possible side effects from vaccinations." We two docs interviewed over 150 experts on every side of the issue and read every available peer-reviewed paper; we calculated the risk of vaccination and found that the benefits outweigh the risks 40,000 to one!
Bottom line: Get informed and protect your kids and yourself (adult vaccinations are also important), as well as your neighbor who might have a medical reason for not being vaccinated. You help create what's called herd immunity, protecting those who cannot be vaccinated. That could be someone going through chemotherapy or with a disease that compromises the immune system.
Just because we no longer see the devastation that these diseases once caused, that's no reason to doubt the protection vaccines can offer!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into "The Dr. Oz Show" or visit sharecare.com.
(c)2019 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.