The first written record of the measles was presented by a Persian doctor who described the disease in the 9th century. Jump ahead over a thousand years to the beginning of the 20th century, when, in 1912, the United States required health care providers and labs to report all diagnosed cases of the measles. In the first decade of record keeping, an average of 6,000 deaths from measles were reported each year.
In the decade prior to the advent of the measles vaccine in 1963, nearly all children got the measles, usually before their 15th birthday. Records indicate that millions of people were infected by the disease and thousands were hospitalized each year from complications relating to the measles. Approximately 400-500 people died annually, a lower number than that of 50 years earlier, presumably because of general improvements in health care, but still significant. Once this vaccine became available, the number of people who contracted the measles dropped dramatically.
In the year 2000, this dangerous and highly contagious disease was declared eliminated in the United States! This eradication of the measles was the result of the recommendation that all children receive a second dose of the MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) vaccine, not just a single dose as initially suggested in the 1960s, and a highly effective national vaccination program.
Lately, however, a disease that had been eliminated in this country due to science and medicine has returned. We have all seen recent reports about local outbreaks in Brooklyn, Rockland County, Lakewood, and Monroe. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now reporting outbreaks in 27 states (including New York and New Jersey). There have been outbreaks in Israel, Venezuela, Canada and Mexico, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases of measles has reached a record high in Europe this year, with more cases recorded in the first six months of 2018 than in any other 12-month period this decade. The majority of people who got the measles were unvaccinated.
The MMR vaccine eradicated a very contagious and possibly deadly disease. Why, then, would devoted, loving, and caring parents choose to not to vaccinate their children?
“Vaccine hesitancy” refers to the practice of anyone who is doubtful about vaccination or who chooses to delay or refuse immunization. According to a recent study, parents refused to administer vaccinations due to a number of reasons. Here are the top three reasons:
- Religious beliefs: Immunizing violates certain religious traditions relating either to the vaccination itself, to medical treatment in general, or to the reliability of scientific advances.
- Personal beliefs: It will be beneficial for the child to contract a preventable disease; the child’s immune system will be stronger, as he/she grows into adulthood. Since the diseases for which vaccinations are available today are not prevalent, a child is in any case at only a minimal risk to contract them; it is therefore preferable not to take any kind of risk by vaccinating.
- Safety Concerns: This has been the primary reason that parents have expressed for refusing to vaccinate their children. Parents are concerned about the safety of vaccines. Many of these concerns come from social media, celebrities, friends and family members. People believe that the side effects and potential risks of vaccines are more extensive than their physician is sharing with them, and that these risks outweigh the benefits.
In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield wrote an article that linked autism to the MMR vaccine. Around the year 2000, I had the opportunity to hear the late Dr. Wakefield speak at a conference on autism run by the famous and creative Dr. Stanley Greenspan. Dr. Wakefield addressed a room full of parents, educators, and therapists. He was articulate, and he spoke with authority and caring, summarizing his research and his article in “The Lancet,” a highly regarded medical journal. He presented a pictorial history of babies and toddlers with autism, showing, for example, a picture of an 11 month old baby smiling at the camera and then a picture of the same child at 15 months of age staring blankly at the camera, with no expression and vacant eyes. He shared one set of pictures after another of smiling, happy, completely typical babies transformed overnight. The one thing that all these children had in common was that they had all had the MMR vaccine at some point between the two pictures.
Parents like myself were looking for answers – why does my child have autism? Dr. Wakefield provided the answer. And so I too stopped vaccinating my son! In truth, I did not really believe that my son’s autism was caused by the MMR vaccine, but why take chances? Upon the advice of my pediatrician, I had my son tested; he was immune to measles and rubella, though not to mumps – but two out of three isn’t bad. Many advocates for the developmentally disabled, parents, celebrities, alternative medicine practitioners, and some religious leaders spoke and wrote about the negative effects of this and other immunizations. Distrust of pharmaceutical companies and conspiracy theories were discussed online. The link between MMR and autism was discussed at support groups and conferences.
In 2010, “The Lancet” retracted Dr. Wakefield’s article. It turns out that he had manufactured much of his own data and despite numerous attempts, no subsequent research yielded results which matched his. It was also discovered that he was working with the lawyers of some of the parents who were suing the pharmaceutical companies.
The damage, however, had been done. Many of the parents of children with autism stopped vaccinating their other children. Relatives of people with autism delayed vaccinating their children. Some celebrities decided not to vaccinate their children and shared their views with their fans, as the overall safety of vaccines came into question.
The number of unvaccinated children continues to increase. Fear, misinformation, and lack of information seem to be driving this trend, and it is a potentially dangerous one. If 95 percent of the population are vaccinated, the 5 percent that are not are still provided with a measure of protection – this is referred to as the herd immunity. Without this “herd immunity,” where the immunity which a significant portion of a population (or herd) possesses provides a measure of protection for those who have not developed that immunity (e.g., babies and immune-compromised individuals) because the particular disease is unlikely to break out, the latter group is at significant risk. We are now losing the herd immunity in some communities, and a disease that was wiped out is now back.
What can be done? Educating parents is crucial. Infants receive their first shot (Hepatitis B) before they leave the hospital and for the first six months of their lives, they receive vaccines every two months. Most new parents are overwhelmed and are sleep deprived and many don’t understand why their little baby needs so many immunizations. Consequently, they are very vulnerable to misinformation. More time needs to be spent explaining the benefits and risks of vaccinating children and the vaccination schedule. Knowledge is power.
I wish Dr. Wakefield had been right and that the MMR vaccine was indeed the cause of autism. Most parents would risk measles if they could spare their child a diagnosis of autism. We still don’t know what causes autism, but we do know that the MMR vaccine does not. My son Yosef is up to date with his vaccines. Please make sure that the people in your life are up to date with theirs.
By Beth S Taubes RN
Beth Taubes RN, OCN, CBCN, CHC,CYT, is the owner of Wellness Motivations LLC. She motivates clients of all backgrounds, ages, and health conditions to engage in improved self-care through nutritional counseling, fitness training, yoga practice, and stress reduction techniques. Sign up for the “count up to Shavous challenge” Gift Certificates available. Beth can be reached at [email protected] or wellnessmotivationsbt.com.
