Measles: The Unpleasant, Unnecessary Comeback Kid
Fifty years ago measles was a rite of passage. Everyone got it. Now, this deadly disease is making an unnecessary comeback.
Measles is a high fever. Measles is a terrible rash. Measles is very contagious. In the 1950’s Americans experienced over 500,000 measles infections a year. Usually children just became very sick, but hundreds of unlucky kids developed brain infections and even died.
Measles, however, is a preventable disease. Because of the success of vaccination, measles soon fell to all-time lows. In fact, in my 12 years as a pediatrician, I have never encountered a case of measles.
Now, however, measles cases are on the rise.
Today we live in very fortunate times. We have never seen a child die of polio. It is rare to see a child suffer from measles. Many other life-threatening diseases have been reduced due to the miracle of vaccination. Some of these diseases, however, are making a comeback.
In fact, there are more cases of measles in Florida this year than in the past 15 years.
A big reason is that for the past decade parents have been afraid to vaccinate children. Parents who do not vaccinate fear of the side effects of inoculations. Some claim religious reasons, while others do not feel that measles and other diseases represent big risks. The irony is that vaccines may worked too well, sparing these parents from learning the true risks they are running.
These parents’ vaccine fears largely originate from a study published in a medical journal over 10 years ago. The study was unscientific, unethical and really did not prove anything. Interestingly, after its publication, the doctors who worked on the report publicly withdrew their support for their own published paper. The magazine that published the study later publicly retracted the report. The main author of the report even lost his license to practice medicine.
After the published study was disputed and lost support, it was too late. The media had already popularized the idea of not vaccinating. Even with retractions and apologies, physicians are still struggling to clear up parental confusion and misinformation.
The confusion and concerns still persist in our community, largely because the Internet fans the flames of worry. This discredited study is still quoted by parents, who put their trust in it when deciding to delay or refuse vaccines. Rarely do media outlets mention the dozens of other accepted studies that clearly demonstrate the safety of vaccines. As a result, parents decide not to vaccinate more frequently and rates of measles continue to rise.
Even if you look past the controversy and the claim that not vaccinating is a parent’s right and choice, a problem persists. A lower vaccination rate exposes the rest of us. Some people, even if vaccinated, do not mount a strong enough immunity response so they are still susceptible to the disease. Infants less than 1-year-old are too young to be vaccinated and are very susceptible. If measles exists in the community, it will surely spread through this population. Lower vaccination rates mean more prevalence of disease in our community. A parent’s decision not only puts his or her child at risk, it puts others as well.
If all parents don’t support full vaccination, disease like measles will continue to rise. Then you and I will know firsthand what measles is. Soon enough it will walk into my pediatric office, infiltrate our schools, populate our daycares and expose all of us.
By Mark Bilella
Dr. Bilella is a physician with Internal Medicine & Pediatrics of Tampa Bay at www.mytampadoc.com.