Measles, whooping cough resurgence

Cases of whooping cough and measles are resurging in America, despite access to numerous vaccines to prevent both diseases. Health officials attribute the increased outbreaks of long dormant diseases to the anti-vaccination movement, where parents are refusing to vaccinate themselves and their children.  Genesee County Health Officer Mark Valacak said the anti-immunization movement is a danger to everyone, even if they are immunized.  “One of the basic concepts of immunizations is herd immunization — the higher the rate of immunization, the lower the rate of transmission of diseases,” Valacak said. “We are seeing cases in Michigan because of international travel. People come back from areas that are poorly immunized and, if you have populations that are not properly vaccinated, you are at risk for getting these diseases.”  The Council on Foreign Relations reports that since 2008, Michigan has had 600 cases of whooping cough and one case of measles. Nationwide, thousands of cases of whooping cough and measles have increased since 2008, as well as incidents of mumps, polio and typhoid.  

Opposition increased due to a fear that vaccinations cause autism in children, especially from outspoken advocates like Jenny McCarthy. However, numerous studies have disproven any link between vaccines and autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the Journal of Pediatrics, have found zero cases where vaccination caused autism. Still, Pediatrics reports more than one in 10 parents chose not to vaccinate their children.  Valacak attributes the fear of vaccines to false information that continues to circulate on the Internet, despite being disproven years ago.  “A lot of people go to the Internet and there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” said Valacak, citing a falsified study where an English doctor was paid to link vaccines to autism. “Because this study is still on the Internet, people believe it.”  Valacak added that some diseases, like small pox, could be completely eradicated if a population is immunized enough.  

According to the CDC Morbidity and Mortality weekly reports, 1,336 people have died from diseases that could have been vaccinated from June 3, 2007 to Feb. 1, 2014. There have been 128,044 cases of preventable illness during the same time.  

One common argument against vaccinations is despite most Americans being vaccinated, cases of diseases are still popping up all over the country. Valacak points to a student in the county who died due to the flu last winter and a case in Oakland County where a young infant died because the mother had whooping cough. Valacak said both deaths could have been prevented had the mother and student been vaccinated.  Valacak recommends researching vaccines through reputable sources such as CDC.gov, a doctor or even with a pharmacist, since some vaccination shots are available at pharmacies. For those who dislike shots, Valacak said nasal vaccines are available.  

“Everybody should talk to their healthcare provider,” Valacak said. “Vaccines don’t stop with childhood. As adults we need to remember to get booster protection.”