Doctor says ignoring vaccines puts community at risk

Measles. It's sweeping parts of the United States almost twenty years after doctors thought it was eradicated.

Measles is highly contagious. If someone walked through a public space with the virus, coughed or sneezed, those germs would hang around for 2 hours. If you're not vaccinated, 9 of ten people will get infected

"If I can do something to prevent those diseases from my child I’m going to do that," said Kimberly Watson, mother.

That's one opinion from a local mother, who just got vaccinations for her child, but hundreds of others choose not to get shots and experts say because of that - measles are back.

“Vaccines save lives, they don't hurt lives," said Dr. Lauren Morris, a pediatrician at Southeastern Pediatric Associates.

Morris has been vaccinating kids for twenty years; she says it's a life or death matter.

"Not only are you putting your child at risk, but also infecting other children that could

not get the vaccine because they are too young or they had immune deficiency," said Morris.

Morris says children that are not vaccinated - rely on those who are - it's called herd immunity.

"That isn't the case right now, our vaccine rates are falling and we can no longer be protected by herd immunity," said Morris.

So far, 333 cases of measles across 15 states.

In a New York county, 1 in 4 children now have measles and in an effort to stop it from spreading, counties are barring minors from certain public places.

Alabama isn't one of them, but if it spread here would bans be constitutional?

"There is authority under Alabama law for the state to issue a quarantine, good news is for Alabama that isn't likely," said Joseph D. Lane, Senior partner at The Cochran Firm.

Dr. Morris says just because it isn't likely doesn't mean it can't happen, Especially since spring break has many people traveling.

So why wouldn't people get vaccinated?

"A lot of people have been fed a lot of misinformation through social media that vaccines are linked to other issues. Vaccines single handedly are the greatest medical advance that we have made," said Dr. Morris.

"It’s absolutely terrifying; this is something I and my husband didn't have to grow up with because most of our parents did vaccine because we trusted doctors,” said Watson.

The Center for Disease Control reports the measles vaccine also known as MMR is at least 93 percent effective.