Measles Cases on the Rise
12 cases of measles have been reported in the San Diego area, all in children who were not vaccinated due to their being too young, or due to their parents choosing not to vaccinate them. A story last week in the San Diego Union-Tribune noted that more and more parents have been exercising their right under California law not to vaccinate their children, in part because “they fear that vaccines may be linked to autism.” The San Diego Union-Tribune narrates how the measles infection may have spread from one child to another—from an infected child sneezing or coughing at a charter school, a health clinic, at a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s store—-and underscores how readily the disease can be spread, and can be caught.
In England and Wales, there were 971 cases of measles in 2007.
In 2006, there were 740 cases. And there are some 60,000 school children who, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reports, have not gotten the MMR vaccine. Doctors are saying that a catchup immunization program will be necessary to prevent a rise in measles infections, the February 23rd Times Online reports:
The first measles death in the UK for 15 years was reported in 2006, and at least two of last year’s cases required treatment in intensive care. Measles can also cause brain damage.
The resurgence of a disease that was until recently in decline has been attributed to a large cohort of children who were left unprotected against measles when their parents refused MMR, over unfounded fears of a link that it could trigger autism.
When Andrew Wakefield suggested the now-discredited link in 1998, it caused a collapse in vaccination rates, which fell from 91 per cent in 1997-98 to 80 per cent in 2003-04. In some parts of London only 60 per cent of children were immunised. Although uptake rose to 86 per cent last year, hundreds of thousands of children are unprotected. [my emphasis]
The HPA estimates that between 1999 and 2004, 300,000 preschool children and 600,000 older children had no vaccinations, and 800,000 more missed the second booster jab needed for full protection.
Child health specialists said that it was essential for these children to be traced and offered catchup vaccinations, as they have become a susceptible “pool” in which measles can thrive.
Without such a programme, measles outbreaks may start to strike older age groups. The disease will also threaten infants too young to be vaccinated and toddlers who have yet to have the MMR booster, given at the age of 3: both groups rely on herd immunity for protection.
With these rising numbers of measles cases being reported, it bears repeating: There is no valid scientific evidence linking vaccines or something in vaccines to autism. As Judge Stuart R. Berger of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City in Baltimore said on December 21, 2007, in a case involving drug maker Wyeth and the parents of Jamarr Blackwell:
“It is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community that thimerosal in vaccines does not cause or contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.”
“It generally accepted in the relevant scientific community that autism is genetic in origin except in rare instances of prenatal exposures to certain substances at defined periods during pregnancy.”
The Blackwells allege that their son “was injured in 1985 and 1986 by, among other things, what is known as the thimerosal preservative in vaccines made by Wyeth, according to the court memorandum opinion,” as reported by the February 19th Associated Press (via Business Week). Kathleen Seidel provides a summary of the case at Neurodiversity.com.
There is no valid scientific evidence linking vaccines or something in vaccines to autism. There are more cases of measles in unvaccinated children in the US and in the UK.
Tags: andrew wakefield, asd, asperger, autism, baltimore, herd immunity, measles, mercury, mmr, Parenting, pdd-nos, san diego, shots, Vaccines, wyethRelated Stories
POSTED IN: California, Health, Legal Issues, Vaccines
8 opinions for Measles Cases on the Rise
KimJ
Feb 24, 2008 at 1:33 am
We just got a case here in Tucson and it’s made the breaking news.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 24, 2008 at 1:44 am
In Pima County, an adult?—-from KVOA news.
Jill
Feb 24, 2008 at 10:02 am
O.K. I hate to change the subject, again, but my kids and I had a horrible case of the flu last December. I now know that the vaccine didn’t have the right strains this year but what is really strange is that my oldest son got the flu TWICE! Has anybody ever have that happened before? BTW- it was a nasty flu as well.
Back to the measles subject again. I have been going back and forth on the vaccine-autism connection. I am getting ready to start updating my kids vaccines. I want to wait until the weather is a little warmer and will start updating their vaccinations slowly. My oldest had his MMR shots at 1 and 4 years of age and youngest only has them at 1 years of age. He will need to get a catch up shot and I want to see if I can check to make sure my oldest one did build up an immunity. They both have problems with building up an immunity. They had the chicken pox vaccine and still got the chicken pox. Thanks for posting this. I need a reminder like this once in a while to make sure my kids stay healthy.
KimJ
Feb 24, 2008 at 2:48 pm
The measles case in Tucson; yep, that’s it. The paper didn’t say where he was from (Switzerland) so I find that interesting. February is a huge month for tourism with several really large events. I hope he didn’t expose anyone unvaccinated because we are really in a vulnerable position, with so many people recovering from the flu and so many different people in town.
I don’t get the flu vaccine ever because I don’t believe it will help me. My son and I just had it for 3 days a piece and hopefully, that will hold us for the next outbreak. We already have some antibodies for it. I just don’t think the flu is worth vaccinating against. It’s not something you can eradicate so it just morphs into other strains.
Regan
Feb 24, 2008 at 3:08 pm
So that’s 2 for Switzerland, which suggests to me that there’s an active outbreak there right now.
That’s why the thing is so dicey. Even if you count on the herd immunity of your local area, someone comes in or brings an active case from somewhere else, the probabilities change.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 24, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I had a sort case of the flu a few weeks ago—Jim too—-it seemed to bypass Charlie, who has been healthier than ever this school year. Jim and I made a point of resting all weekend (Charlie was very good about this) and we got through it.
I didn’t get Charlie vaccinated for the MMR when he was 5 out of an irrational fear prompted by all the mercury/vaccine hype—shows how it can get to one. When he took the vaccine at the age of 8, it was no big deal; no fussing, no crying, and no reaction. The experience led me to reflect on how unfounded fears and rumors can work on a person.
Regan
Mar 25, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I realize that the gist of this post is the measles, but since the MMR is measles and mumps and rubella, this seemed a related piece of information.
(I was interested in how many state special schools/enrollment there were pre-PL-142, and ran across this–)
“”…Students whose sensory impairments were caused by Rubella have passed through the school system. Rubella, or German measles, has been a major cause of birth defects in the United States. Prior to approval of a vaccine in 1969, thousands of children with Rubella lost their hearing and/or sight. Outbreaks in the 1960’s produced a bulge in the number of sensory-impaired students in the educational systems. These children have now passed through the school system and have resulted in declines of sensory-impaired student populations across the nation. ..”
State School Study, State of Oregon, March 2007 discussing need to close Oregon School for the Blind and combine educational/residential functions to the Oregon School for the Deaf due to the declining enrollment in both placements.
(Seems that historically these “no-big-deal” childhood illnesses had some real consequences. I recall another article in Time (late ’50’s) discussing the national cost of the 25,000 US children who were institutionalized as a result of the consequences of measles-derived meningitis and encephalopathy. )
Mary
May 27, 2008 at 4:42 pm
It’s the measles folks, not Ebola.
It’s an illness that before vaccination was treated with rest, chicken soup and time off in a dark room with high doses of Vitamin A and you all are making it sound like we’re all seconds away from dying in the worst outbreak of disease to hit mankind.
THIS is why vaccine makers are trillionaires.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: