A landmark bill was just passed in California which will make vaccinations necessary for all students, unless they have a medical exemption or the parents choose to homeschool their children. This law eliminates the personal and religious belief exemptions completely, and was met with overwhelming praise, although not without protest. It has been the subject of heated debate for the past few months, although it was finally approved last Tuesday. The Golden State has been forced to take extra precautions after a measles outbreak at Disneyland wreaked havoc on the public, leaving over a hundred people infected.

California Legislature passes mandatory public school vaccination bill #SB277 http://t.co/Rpt3bJvNPI pic.twitter.com/wepXmF011C

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 29, 2015

The bill passed with bipartisan support in the Assembly before it was sent to California Governor Jerry Brown, who hastily signed it, enabling it to finally become a law. Politicians have mixed views on this topic, although it seems that the consensus is that vaccinations are necessary to protect the health of the general public. Recent events have caused numerous bills to be proposed throughout the country, although California’s is one of the first to be set in motion.

Two other states, West Virginia and Mississippi, have already imposed similar laws, and they have proven to very successful so far. California made a wise decision in following the lead of its southern counterparts and given how prominent a state California is, it will likely be a model for other states to follow if all goes well. Many states seem to be interested in implementing similar legislation, and so all eyes will be on California to see just how such actions impact its citizens.

This preventative measure is aimed at schools–both public and private institutions–as well as day care centers. This law also creates clear guidelines for future requirements regarding vaccines so that there are no questions of procedure or exemption. There will now be two vaccination checkpoints for children, one at the kindergarten level, and one in seventh grade. A grandfather clause was also created, which will allow children to wait until the next checkpoint to be vaccinated if they missed the first one due to a personal belief exemption before this change was instituted.

The subject of vaccination has proven to be a very contentious topic in the United States in recent years. But what’s most important is the science behind this decision, and the experts believe that this law is imperative for preventing future outbreaks. Pediatricians in California have high hopes for this new policy, announcing their beliefs that it will most likely increase immunization rates and stop diseases from spreading. The goal is to protect the masses, not only children, but entire communities. So long as the vast majority of people are vaccinated, then the chances of another outbreak are astronomically low. Research has proven that such stringent rules help to create safer environments, so why do so many still have a problem with vaccines?

While the reasons for the opposition to vaccines do merit some recognition, since there is always the microscopic chance of complications, it is obvious that the pros far outweigh the cons in this situation. Many people believe that they can cause disorders such as autism, despite most research debunking this theory. Most other objections are due to personal or religious reasons. Parents used to be able to simply check a box to decide whether or not to inoculate solely based on their beliefs. While this law makes vaccinations mandatory for the majority, there will still be a few opportunities for exemptions. If parents completely refuse to vaccinate their children, then they must pledge to homeschool their children. Medical exemptions will still be available to those with serious health conditions, although this decision will be left up to the professionals. It was also announced that an amendment might be added to the law, and if passed, would make it so that doctors can use family medical histories of patients when evaluating children for medical exemptions.

Actor Jim Carrey made headlines for speaking out in disgust against the new law, even going so far as to call Brown a fascist. In his infamous Twitter rant, he accused the California legislature of being corrupt and knowingly poisoning children by requiring vaccinations. Carrey is only one of many to voice his furor, although it seems that there are far more supporters than protestors for this law.

Numerous groups have also announced their opposition, including the California ProLife Council, California Nurses for Ethical Standards, and the National Vaccine Information Center. Angry parents joined these groups in posting on social media to express their outrage. There have been many disputes between parents regarding this new legislation, and thousands have even stormed the capitol in protest. One major argument that protestors use against this law is that it takes away a parent’s ability to control what goes into their children’s bodies.

No one died during the measles outbreak at Disneyland, although it was still extremely scary for everyone involved and brought much unwanted attention to California. Disneyland is a major tourist destination that attracts millions of visitors a year, and so such a powerful disease infiltrating this popular institution seemed shocking at the time. Such an outbreak in California was upsetting to many after the disease was supposedly eradicated years ago. This was only the latest event in American history to trigger a national debate on the necessity of vaccines. There was also a recent outbreak of whooping cough in a Los Angeles school district where 90 students were infected, although experts believe that this incident could have been prevented. Officials of this district are praising this new law, as they believe that it will definitely help combat future outbreaks.

This law will not take effect until July of 2016, so those who are unhappy have time to move to another state. Some parents find it to be too drastic and have said that they will sue school districts just to get their child admitted without being vaccinated, although it does not seem that they will be triumphant. This law would mandate the entire state to follow through with the law, with very few exceptions. The hope is that given all of the research and findings associated with the benefits of vaccinations, parents will open their minds to the possibility of vaccines benefiting the public.

Toni Keddell

Toni Keddell is a member of the University of Maryland Class of 2017 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Toni at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Controversy in California: Childhood Vaccines Now Mandatory appeared first on Law Street.

West Coast anti-vaxxers beware! After an initial voting delay, a California Senate committee overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday that will require schoolchildren in the state to be vaccinated.

According to the Herald, the Senate Education Committee voted 7-2 on the bill proposed by Senator Richard Pan, a Democratic pediatrician from Sacramento. It’s now being passed along to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing next week that will surely be part of a drawn out legislative process.

Lawmakers had reportedly delayed a vote on the bill last week after some on the Education Committee worried it would potentially deprive unvaccinated children of an adequate education.

Pan’s proposal is one of many national vaccination initiatives that were born out of the Disneyland measles outbreak, which sickened more than 100 people in both the U.S. and Mexico. Presently, parents who are opposed to vaccinating their children can abstain by obtaining exemptions for “personal-belief and religious” reasons. Pan’s bill would prevent children with these kind of exemptions from being able to attend public or private schools. Only children with health problems would be allowed to obtain exemptive medical waivers.

Democratic Senator Ben Allen of Santa Monica helped Pan craft amendments to the bill which expand the home schooling and independent study programs available to children who are not vaccinated and therefore cannot go to public or private schools. Allen told the Sacramento Bee,

While this bill won’t reach everyone, it will increase everyone’s safety against vaccine-preventable diseases. We think we’ve struck a fair balance here that provides more options to parents who are concerned about not vaccinating.

The bill’s amendments would allow unvaccinated children to still be able to get an education through “private home schools that cover multiple families or through independent study programs that are overseen by school districts and given access to public school curricula.” According to the Bee, in the bill’s former version only those serving a single family or household had qualified.

Opponents of the vaccine bill are already vowing to continue their fight against the bill. Jean Keese, a spokeswoman for the California Coalition for Health Choice said,

We will continue to show our strength, and we will continue to educate lawmakers and the public about why this is a bad bill.

These individuals who oppose mandatory vaccinations, sometimes nicknamed “anti-vaxxers,” often have the belief that modern vaccination methods cause a wide range of health problems, despite evidence to this effect being debunked by both medical and scientific experts and dubbed a pseudoscience.

If approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, this bill would provide peace of mind to concerned parents in the state who are fearful of another large-scale outbreak like Disney’s potentially affecting their children. However official approval of the bill will likely be unsuccessful in squashing all anti-vaccination efforts.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Measles probably doesn’t make your list of top Disneyland souvenirs. Unfortunately, many unvaccinated visitors to Disneyland in California brought measles home along with mouse ears this season. It gets worse, because these people unknowingly shared their viral souvenir with other unvaccinated people in schools, banks, and even on public transportation. The result? A multi-state measles outbreak that has sparked a tirade of vaccination discourse. If measles can happen in the “happiest place on Earth” of all settings, we’re all in trouble.

Read on to find out more about these measles everyone’s talking about and why some people choose to opt out of a vaccine that most experts agree is safe and effective.

Why We’re Seeing Cases Now

Once upon a time (in the year 2000), the United States declared measles eliminated. Don’t get too excited. Eliminated in this sense doesn’t mean annihilated or wiped out completely like Dodo birds or Blockbuster stores. In 2000, measles was no longer endemic, or transmitted in the United States for twelve months or more. That happily ever after did not last long. Since then, measles cases have slowly but surely crawled back up; check out the CDC’s breakdown here. Overall, there have been 121 cases reported from January 1 to February 6, 2015.

Why the climbing cases? Although measles was eliminated in the United States, there was still plenty of it going around the rest of the world, especially in places without the same vaccination resources as the United States. In developing countries, measles causes about one million deaths each year.

Measles from the rest of the globe crept back into the United States on the coattails of international visitors or jet-setting residents. For example, experts trace the California outbreak to a traveler who was infected overseas. This person exposed other Disneyland visitors and the virus quickly spread throughout unvaccinated clusters in California.

Why is measles so hard to fight?

We’ll chalk it up to two basic reasons, each individually complicated:

1. Measles spreads like wildfire.
2. Our defenses have some holes, especially from the decrease in herd immunity caused by a growing number of unvaccinated children.

Let’s talk about each in more detail.

Measles is Viral Wildfire

In this most recent outbreak, cases of measles grew by 19 percent in just one week according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are some other reasons that measles is viral wildfire:

• Measles infects about 90 percent of the unvaccinated people it reaches, making it one of the world’s most contagious diseases.
• It doesn’t require direct contact to spread; the airborne virus jumps easily from person to person through aerosol droplets. (One germ-laden cough or sneeze is all it takes.)
• The first symptoms of measles include coughing, runny nose, and fever–pretty much the same as any other regular, old cold. Infected people will probably still be out and about, infecting other people.
• It has a high reproduction factor. One person can infect about 12 to 18 others. That’s six to nine times more infectious than the flu virus that caused the 1918 flu pandemic.
• Many young doctors have never seen a measles case, so infected people go undiagnosed and spread the disease.
• It’s hard to contain. Health workers have to track down exposed people, a task that gets harder as more become infected.
• It’s also expensive. The National Vaccine Advisory Committee says that Arizona hospitals spent $800,000 to isolate seven measles cases.

What’s more, measles can be severe. Before vaccinations, measles caused about 2.6 million deaths worldwide each year. In populations with malnutrition and poor health care, almost ten percent of measles cases end in death. Death occurs because of complications that result from measles, including encephalitis, pneumonia, and even blindness.

The World Health Organization calls the measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health, attributed to preventing about 15.6 million deaths in 13 years. Vaccines work because measles is considered antigenically stable; it doesn’t shift or drift to get around our immune system like the flu can. So one shot pretty much leads to lifetime immunity.

No antiviral treatment for measles exists. Most often it’s treated with supplements of Vitamin A and proper hydration, but you still have to let the disease run its course. Prevention through vaccinations avoids all of this.

The Breach in Herd Immunity

Tiny, adorable babies (and other vulnerable groups) physically can’t get vaccinated. Without immunization, measles plows through the population, causing the most harm to babies with developing immune systems; however, if many people are immunized, they create a buffer that keeps those who can’t get immunized safe from the disease.  It’s call herd immunity.

Anti-vaccination sentiments cluster in certain geographical areas, breaching herd immunity on a local level. California is one area with clusters of unvaccinated people, thus why the most recent outbreak is so difficult to control. Clusters of unvaccinated people make ideal kindling for measles wildfire.

Watch the video below for a great explanation of why vaccines are important and how opting out is bad for the herd.

The idea of herd immunity puts the public health context back in the very personal choice of vaccination. Cooperation leads to successful herd immunity. The World Health Organization says 95 percent of people should be vaccinated to eliminate measles.

So, why don’t people just get vaccinated?

Downward trends in vaccination rates leave the United States vulnerable to measles attacks as we’re exposed to measles by global visitors and travel. If measles is so serious yet preventable, why do people still opt out?

There are many reasons that parents don’t get their kids vaccinated. They range from distrust of government to fear of negative side effects. In the California outbreak, people cite religious, philosophical, or personal reasons for opting out of vaccinations. Many doctors balk at the generally non-medical tone of these excuses.

Experts respond to doubts with a profusion of facts that counter most fears raised about vaccination. A 12-year study of Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccines found that it does not increase the risk for several suspected health outcomes. The World Health Organization published data that found no association between measles vaccines and Crohn’s disease. And plenty of other studies debunk common vaccination fears.

Here’s an alarming fact: in the anti-vaccination argument, facts don’t necessarily work. In some cases, arguing with facts as weapons makes the outcome worse. Research found that busting vaccine myths actually increases hesitancy around vaccination instead of raising intent to vaccinate. This all means that the sole strategy of many health communicators might actually backfire among this particularly skeptical target audience.

Why Facts Don’t Win the Vaccination Argument

People, unlike computers, pepper even their logical decisions with colorful human emotions. Many social and emotional factors influence how we perceive, interpret, and react to facts and science. Here are some reasons why cold facts don’t work in contentious arguments, like the vaccine debate.

We Cling to Naive Beliefs

People accept facts, but often cling to their intuitions with stunning zeal. This study demonstrates how even people with advanced scientific knowledge express natural delays when asked if the Earth orbits the Sun. From our humble perspective on Earth, this doesn’t look true. That simple intuition influences our initial gut reaction, even when we know facts to the contrary.

We’re Easily Influenced by Personal Anecdotes

Personal stories heighten naive beliefs. We’ll believe a friend’s anecdote about vaccines causing her child’s autism even when numerous facts state that it’s unlikely. Cold, hard facts can’t compete with your emotional reaction to the anecdote. A little intrigue might produce a similar effect. This study found parents less likely to vaccinate their kids after reading conspiracy theories on vaccination.

We Conform to Group Values

People make decisions that affirm their cultural identities and connections to people with shared values. It’s a tendency called cultural cognition. New info will pass through a pre-existing lens and if it’s contrary to fundamental beliefs, it might lead to even more polarization.

We Love to Be Right

The fancy word? Confirmation bias. It’s the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our current beliefs, regardless of accuracy. Emotionally charged issues inflate this tendency. The internet and on-demand television makes this force unstoppable. You can easily ensure you only hear what you want to hear.

Our Resources Hamper Our Decisions

Experts call it bounded rationality. We face difficult scientific issues, yet we still evaluate them with limited information, a fixed set of cognitive abilities, and limited time. Think of reading the terms and conditions before you buy a song on iTunes. You know it’s theoretically a good idea (just in case), but who has 45 minutes for that?

We Love Negative Talk

Negative information inspires more shares than positive information. One bit of negative news can eclipse five bits of positive news. In fact, negative talk about vaccines is more socially contagious than positive talk. Researchers have found that both positive and negative Tweets result in only more negative buzz.

So, now what?

To keep measles cases from increasing, more people need to be vaccinated. We could try to convince more people they should have their kids vaccinated or strengthen immunization laws and policy (e.g. making exemptions harder).

Convince More People They Should Vaccinate

As outlined above, the most avid vaccination opponents might be nearly impossible to turn. In fact, some vaccination opponents actively seek out measles infections for their children by hosting measles parties. The trial and error process involved in developing and testing new communications materials to target this finicky audience would be time consuming. Many experts believe we should move to strengthening immunization laws immediately before measles is able to become a more serious problem in the United States.

Strengthen Immunization Laws and Policy

Vaccination isn’t legally required and exemption allowances vary from state to state and can get pretty complicated. Lawmakers who recognize the need for change are proposing to overhaul vaccination laws in many states.

California is proposing to end personal (as opposed to medical or religious) exemptions. They’re also moving to require that public schools publish the percentage of enrolled children who are vaccinated, an effort that Arizona is also pursuing.

Other states are moving in the opposite direction. Montana and New York have introduced bills that would make parental exemptions easier. You can read more about recent vaccination-related legislation here. Be prepared for some interesting immunization debates in the coming months.

In addition to cracking down on state-by-state exemption policy, the Network for Public Health Law provides a few more suggestions, including pursuing tort claims, and taking a more active role in fighting measles globally.

Conclusion

Whatever path we take, vaccinations are here to stay. Unless we completely eradicate measles globally, vaccines will always be necessary to protect the United States from outbreaks. The recent outbreak in California (and other states) illustrates how important herd immunity really is. Vaccination is a personal choice that affects public health. How will we weigh personal rights against this public responsibility? Only time will tell.

Resources

Primary

World Health Organization: Measles Factsheet

CDC: Measles Cases and Outbreaks

Additional

National Geographic: Why Do So Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Measles Cases for 2015 Rise 18.6% Over Past Week

Center For Food Integrity: “Cracking the Code on Food Issues: Insights from Moms, Millennials and Foodies.”

Family Practice News: Measles Spread in Unvaccinated Clusters

Network for Public Health Law: Measles Control Made Easy: Stronger Laws Equal Less Disease

Family Practice News: Measles Deaths Slide by 74% as Immunizations Reach 82%

Expert Review of Vaccines: Vaccination Against Measles: A Neverending Story

Journal of Family Practice: Sobering Lessons from Two Travel Related Outbreaks

Future Virology: New Insights Into Measles Virus Propagation

Occidental College: Scientific Knowledge Suppresses But Does not Supplant Earlier Intuitions

Expert Review of Vaccines: Measles Elimination

Canadian Medical Association Journal: Measles Vaccination: A Shot of Common Sense

Science Daily: 12-year Study Confirms Overall Safety of Measles Vaccines

New Scientist: Ending MHR Shots Does Not Halt Rise in Autism

Family Practice News: MMR Shot Not Linked to Autism, Large Study Shows

Pediatrics: Neurologic Disorders After Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccination

Bulletin of the World Health Organization: Clinical Safety Issues of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccines

Pediatrics: Has the Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine Been Fully Exonerated?

Infectious Disease Alert: Lack of Association of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination with Autism

Ohio State University: Confidence in Government Linked to Willingness to Vaccinate

Huffington Post: Six Dangerous Anti-Vaccination Arguments Analyzed, Explained, and Shut Down

British Medical Journal: MMR Vaccination and Autism 1998: Deja Vu – Pertussis and Brain Damage 1974?

Science Daily: Social Norms Strongly Influence Vaccination Decisions, the Spread of Disease

Science Daily: Resurgence of Measles in U.S. Brings Pain, Suffering to Children

Science Daily: Vaccination Opt Out is a Cop Out That Literally is Making People Sick, Says Infectious Disease Leader

NBC Los Angeles: Timeline of Disneyland Measles Outbreak

Medical News Today: Why Myth-Busting Vaccination Fears is Trickier Than You Think

Science Daily: Anti-Vaccine Conspiracy Theories May Have ‘Detrimental Consequences’ for Children’s Health

EurekAlert: On Twitter, Anti-Vaccination Sentiments Spread More Easily Than Pro-Vaccination Sentiments

Politico: Vaccination Foes on the Defensive

Ashley Bell

Ashley Bell communicates about health and wellness every day as a non-profit Program Manager. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the College of William and Mary, and loves to investigate what changes in healthy policy and research might mean for the future. Contact Ashley at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Measles: Why is it Back and What Can Be Done? appeared first on Law Street.

It was probably only a matter of time, but vaccination has officially become a political issue. The particular hot topic at the moment is the vaccination of measles. Despite the fact that the virus had been declared “eliminated” from the United States in 2000, there have been approximately 100 cases recently stemming from outbreaks at Disney theme parks–particularly Disneyland in California. Public health officials are encouraging parents to make sure that their children get vaccinated. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not becoming a political conversation–while some politicians like President Barack Obama have encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated, others, like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have continued to emphasize that it’s an individual choice to be made by parents.

There are plenty of reasons why children don’t get vaccinated–for an in-depth look, check out our issues brief on the topic–but at the most simplistic level, they can get sorted into two camps. The first group are children whose parents choose not to vaccinate them, whether it be because of religious beliefs, concerns about the side effects of vaccines, or whatever other personal reason. The other group is children who physically can’t be vaccinated, usually because they have some sort of allergy to the vaccines, or some illness or condition that would it make it unsafe to be vaccinated. This also includes children who are too young to receive the vaccine–although that’s obviously only a temporary situation. Basically since the measles vaccine became mainstream, those who actually can’t be vaccinated are protected, because those around them can’t get or spread the disease. Unfortunately, as fewer people are vaccinated, that becomes less true, and the spread of measles becomes a legitimate concern.

That being said, it’s not illegal to not vaccinate your child in most places–some states, such as California, are pretty generous when it comes to granting exceptions. Particularly under fire right now are the loopholes that California allows when it comes to its exemption laws, which do require that parents wishing to forego the vaccines undergo “counseling” and get signatures from healthcare professionals. According to Mercury News, those parameters aren’t actually that strict, because:

Counseling can be given by naturopaths, who practice alternative medicine and typically oppose vaccination.

In addition:

People who oppose vaccination because of religious beliefs can skip counseling, a policy change that Gov. Jerry Brown instituted when he signed the updated law.

This has led to a concerning number people in California being unvaccinated–in 2014, 2.5 percent of kindergartners had vaccine exemptions. That doesn’t sound like that many out of context, but that’s pretty much one unvaccinated kid for every other classroom. Children and teens who are unvaccinated are being sent home from school, and there’s a real worry that measles could continue to spread among the unvaccinated population, much of which is clustered into specific schools and neighborhoods.

The CDC put out a statement a few days ago urging any Americans who aren’t vaccinated to do so as soon as possible. President Barack Obama echoed the CDC’s comments on the Today show. However, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came under fire for a statement he made in response that said that the government should “balance” government and parent interests when it comes to vaccines, saying:

Mary Pat and I have had our children vaccinated and we think that it’s an important part of being sure we protect their health and the public health. I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well, so that’s the balance that the government has to decide.

Christie has since clarified that statement, releasing a statement as follows:

The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated. At the same time different states require different degrees of vaccination, which is why he was calling for balance in which ones government should mandate.

Obviously this is a clear example of a big difference between Democrats and Republicans–a federal approach vs. a more state-based one is certainly open for debate. That being said, it’s important that our elected officials stay strong and and stand together in encouraging all Americans who are able to get vaccinated or vaccinate their children to do so. There’s a time for politics, but now, with this topic, isn’t it.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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In recent years, an increasing number of parents decided not to vaccinate their children for a number of diseases. Vaccinations are largely heralded as one of the most effective instruments for public health. Measles, declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, is now back in full force primarily due to lack of vaccination. Here’s what you need to know about the controversy surrounding vaccines, preventable diseases, and what more can be done.

Why are we worried about measles?

It’s true, those pesky measles are back. That contagious respiratory disease characterized by a fever, runny nose, cough, and itchy rash is once more making its way through towns in the United States. Most cases result from foreigners traveling to the United States infecting those who are not vaccinated. In the decade before the measles vaccine was introduced, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an estimated 3 to 4 million people contracted measles each year. The disease caused many cases of chronic disability, hospitalization, and even death. Before the vaccine, the virus affected more than 95 percent of children. Measles kill approximately one in every 1000 cases. About 30 percent of cases develop further complications, including pneumonia, ear infections, or diarrhea. The vaccine for measles, commonly known as the vaccine for Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) was introduced in 1967. Following a large measles outbreak from 1989 to 1991, Congress instituted the Vaccines for Children Program to increase vaccination rates. Following, cases of measles rapidly fell. The recent return of measles has largely been blamed on the anti-vaccination movement. Watch below for an overview of the benefits of vaccines:

Why don’t parents want to vaccinate their kids?

Parents are hesitant to trust the government or pharmaceutical companies and have a number of concerns in allowing their children to be vaccinated. The anti-vaccination push began following a 1998 study by researcher Andrew Wakefield in the British journal, The Lancet. The study declared a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. However, the article has since been widely discredited in the scientific community due to conflicts of interest and manipulated evidence. The paper was retracted in 2010 and Wakefield lost his medical license. Despite the following events, many parents are still concerned that the MMR vaccine will cause autism. Watch below for some debate of the study:

Beyond this, the anti-vaccine movement has continued to gain traction for a variety of reasons:

Celebrity Support

Actress, model, and “The View” host Jenny McCarthy has been a vocal opponent of vaccination. McCarthy claims the vaccines have toxins that are generally unsafe, especially as the amount of required vaccines has increased. Scientists point out that vaccines contain a much less amount of toxins than other foods. Other opponents of vaccination include actor Aidan Quinn, who connects his daughter’s autism with the MMR vaccine, and reality star Kristin Cavallari, who opposes the vaccination of her children. Listen to Jenny McCarthy discuss autism and vaccination:

“Vaccine Load”

Some parents are worried about vaccine load, where the child’s immune system may not be able to handle multiple shots at one time. Children now receive up to 28 shots by age 2. Several studies show receiving multiple vaccines on the same day is not associated with increased chances of autism. Further, while the number of vaccines given to children has increased in recent years, the amount of main ingredients in vaccines has decreased. Worries of vaccine load mean many children are not vaccinated in a timely manner. The claim is also made that vaccines cause a permanently depressed immune system. Instead of vaccination, children should be allowed to build up natural immunity over time.

Mercury

Concerned parents cite the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in vaccinations as a cause of potential brain damage. Government officials have deemed thimerosal safe and found no evidence of harm. However, by taking the voluntary precaution to phase the compound out of vaccinations in 1999, the CDC instilled a greater fear of vaccinations.

Religion

Others object to vaccination solely on a religious basis. They claim vaccination interferes with natural law and God’s plan. Others believe the body is sacred and should not receive certain chemicals, blood, and tissue from animals.

Don’t parents have to vaccinate their kids?

In most cases, for a child to attend public school they must have certain vaccinations. However, some states allow exemptions for those with religious or even philosophical opposition to vaccinations. Private schools do not have the same mandate as public schools. Therefore,private schools vaccination rates are as low as 20 percent. The vast majority of parents vaccinate. According to USA Today, vaccination rates for all diseases are about 90 percent, and fewer than one percent  of Americans forgo all vaccinations. However, exemption rates from 2006 to 2011 doubled. Since states have different policies, vaccination rates are not geographically uniform. This leads to outbreaks only in specific areas.

All states allow vaccination exemptions for medical reasons. Nineteen states allow philosophical exemptions for vaccinations. In states with philosophical exemptions like Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont, more than 4.5 percent of kindergarteners last year were unvaccinated for non-medical reasons. These rates are four times the national average and are potential hotspots for outbreaks. Mississippi and West Virginia are the only states to not allow religious exemptions.  So far,  those states have not seen any disease outbreaks. A federal judge recently upheld a New York City policy that unvaccinated students are not allowed to attend school when another student has a vaccine-preventable illness. Ultimately the right to forgo vaccination for religious reasons doesn’t trump the fear that unvaccinated students may contract and spread the disease.

Until 2011, parents in Washington could opt out of vaccinating children simply by signing a form. This system meant up to a quarter of kids in some counties opted out of vaccinations. States that allow non-medical exemptions have seen more parents forgo their children’s vaccines. From 2000 to 2010, non-medical exemptions in California tripled. Watch for a description of a recent measles outbreak:

Has lack of vaccination led to more cases of disease?

The overwhelming majority of current measles infections occur in unvaccinated people. From the beginning of 2014 to June 20, 2014, the CDC declared 514 cases of measles and approximately 16 outbreaks, the most since 1996. Half of these casesare adults age 20 and over. Following a widespread measles outbreak in San Diego in 2008, roughly one in five children were not vaccinated against the disease. Even last year in California, USA Today reported 14,921 children were not vaccinated for philosophical reasons. In Colorado four percent of kindergarteners did not have shots for non-medical reasons. Watch below for information on the recent measles outbreak:

Another vaccine-preventable disease, pertussis, or whooping cough, increased considerably in recent years. In 2012, a fifty-year high of almost 50,000 cases of whooping cough were reported, a stark contrast from the 1980s and early 1990s when rates hovered around 5,000. Through June 16, 2014, almost 10,000 cases of whooping cough were reported, which is a 24 percent increase when compared with the same period in 2013. This is attributed to the anti-vaccination movement as well as weakened antibodies which wane as a person ages.

Should I be worried?

If you are vaccinated and your shots are up to date, probably not. The most vulnerable are infants who are too young to be vaccinated and the elderly who may not have proper boosters. The effects of vaccination deteriorate over time, so adults who have not gotten booster shots can still contract the disease from an unvaccinated person. Unvaccinated people may not even know if they are carrying a disease like measles, but they can still contagious before any symptoms arrive. A recent case study of an individual dubbed “Measles Mary” has even shown it is possible for a vaccinated person to contract measles and then unwittingly pass the disease on to others.

A recent study by the CDC showed routine childhood vaccinations given between 1994 and 2013 will save 732,000 lives while preventing 322 million cases of illness and 21 million hospitalizations over the course of the children’s lifetimes. According to the Washington Post, every $1 spent on vaccines provides $10 benefit to society.

Medical experts agree proper vaccination is extremely important. Having more people vaccinated makes it less likely that anyone in the community will get a disease, a phenomenon known as “herd immunity.” Aiming for vaccination rates higher than 90 percent can help protect the most vulnerable, especially infants who are too young to be vaccinated. Most officials think the best strategy to increase vaccination is a tireless public education campaign to dispel rumors regarding the danger of vaccines. Watch a video below aimed at educating parents:

 Resources

Primary

CDC: Measles Cases and Outbreaks

CDC: Pertussis Outbreak Trends

CDC: Benefits from Immunization During the VCP Era

CDC: Highest Number of U.S. Measles Cases Since 2000

CDC: Measles Vaccination

FDA: Thimerosal in Vaccines

Additional

USA Today: Anti-Vaccine Movement is Giving Diseases a 2nd Life

Newsweek: Anti-Vaccination Movement Strikes Out in Bible Belt States

Washington Post: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement is Endangering Lives

Time: Parents not Vaccinating Kids Contributed to Whooping Cough

Week: The Worrying Rise of the Anti-Vaccination Movement

National Vaccine Information Center: State Law and Vaccine Requirements

Washington Post: Measles Cases are Spreading, Despite High Vaccination Rates

Science: Measles Outbreak Traced to Fully Vaccinated Patient for the First Time

NCSL: Immunization Policy Issues Overview

The New York Times: Judge Upholds Policy Barring Unvaccinated Students

History of Vaccines: Cultural Perspectives on Vaccination

Alexandra Stembaugh

Alexandra Stembaugh graduated from the University of Notre Dame studying Economics and English. She plans to go on to law school in the future. Her interests include economic policy, criminal justice, and political dramas. Contact Alexandra at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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