A major measles outbreak traced to Disneyland has raised anew the issue of how forcefully doctors should push back against parents who opt out of vaccinations for their children.
In a string of cases that public-health officials are rushing to contain, at least 70 people in six states and Mexico have fallen ill since mid-December. The vast majority of adults and children who became sick had not received the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine.
Measles had been all but eradicated in the U.S. since 2000 because of vaccinations. But the virus has made a comeback in recent years, in part because of parents obtaining personal-belief exemptions from rules that say children must get their shots to enroll in school. Others have delayed getting their children vaccinated because they still believe now-discredited research linking the measles vaccine to autism.
“Some people are just incredibly selfish” in skipping shots, said Dr. James Cherry, a pediatric-disease expert at the University of California, Los Angeles.
But Barbara Loe Fisher, director of the National Vaccine Information Center, a Virginia-based not-for-profit that favors letting parents decide whether to vaccinate, said, “I don't think it's wise or responsible to blame” unvaccinated people for the Disneyland outbreak. She noted that a small number of those stricken had been fully vaccinated.
Health authorities say the outbreak was triggered by a measles-infected visitor to one of the Disney parks who brought the virus from abroad last month. Those infected ranged from 7 months to 70 years old, including five Disneyland workers.
While all states require certain vaccinations for schoolchildren, parents in some states such as California can opt out if they sign a personal-belief waiver. —Associated Press
