We're in the Middle of the Largest Measles Outbreak Since the Disease Was Virtually Eliminated

By Amanda Michelle Gomez, ThinkProgress

25 April 19

The public health crisis has been linked to vaccine skepticism.

he number of people who have been infected by the measles nationwide is the highest since the disease was virtually eliminated in the United States, a public health crisis linked to vaccine skepticism.

There have been 695 confirmed cases of the measles in 22 states so far in 2019, according to federal health officials. This total surpasses the previous record set in 2014, when 667 people were infected by the highly contagious virus.

“Measles is not a harmless childhood illness, but a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening disease,” said the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, in a statement released Wednesday evening.

“We have the ability to safely protect our children and our communities. Vaccines are a safe, highly effective public health solution that can prevent this disease,” he added.

Measles cases have mostly hit families who have not vaccinated their children. “Organizations that are deliberately targeting these communities with inaccurate and misleading information about vaccines” are to blame, a federal health official told the New York Times. The highest concentrations of cases have been in New York and Washington state.

While all states require students to take certain vaccines, including the measles vaccine, most states grant exemptions for reasons other than medical. Virtually all states grant exemptions for religious beliefs and 17 states go further, permitting parents to not vaccinate their children for personal or philosophical reasons.

Lawmakers in some of these states, including Washington, have recently attempted to pass legislation to make it harder for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children — but they are facing opposition from some Republicans who say they’re concerned about tighter requirements infringing on civil liberties.

California did away with its personal exemption in 2015, after the now second-highest measles outbreak in nearly 20 years originated at Disneyland and infected 159 people.

Azar says HHS will “undertake a comprehensive campaign” to reinforce the fact that “vaccines are safe.” He also emphasized that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ready to support local public health departments in “monitoring and responding” to the outbreaks.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said nothing about the measles outbreak. Although he could use his large platform to debunk vaccine skepticism, public health experts worry whether Trump, who has previously spread the anti-vaxxer propaganda that vaccines are linked to autism, is the right messenger.

“I don’t know if he does have the moral authority or the scientific authority. And he’s certainly done a lot to erode that authority,” said Dr. Howard Markel, the director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, told STAT.