Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination. If an unvaccinated person becomes infected with measles, they will receive public health guidance to get vaccinated within three days.
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Joe Radle/Getty Images
Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination. If an unvaccinated person becomes infected with measles, they will receive public health guidance to get vaccinated within three days.
Joe Radle/Getty Images
In mid-February, a measles outbreak began at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Broward County, South Florida. There are currently at least nine active cases in the county, with one additional case in Polk County in Central Florida.
Several public health researchers say Florida's current response to the outbreak violates established public health guidelines. So far, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has asked parents of unvaccinated children in schools with outbreaks to vaccinate their children or isolate them. I'm not asking you to do it. In his Feb. 20 letter, Ladapo leaves it up to parents to decide whether to send their children to school.
“I'm perplexed by this,” said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska School of Public Health. “I've never heard of a Surgeon General who didn't at least advocate for best public health practices.”
Khan says it's dangerous to ignore science-based guidance. “When you undermine trust in public health, including vaccination and public health measures, you put more and more people at risk of these diseases that we no longer see,” he says.
Measles is a highly contagious disease, said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. “So if someone has measles, you can pass that person and get infected. Measles is one of the most contagious diseases we know of.” .”
And, according to the CDC, up to 9 out of 10 people who are unvaccinated or don't have immunity will get measles if they are exposed to it.
About 8% of Broward County kindergarteners are not vaccinated against measles, according to state data.
“If you’re vaccinated, your child is vaccinated, you don’t have to worry. [The risk] It's actually for a small number of people whose children are unvaccinated,” Plescia says, “but 8% are unvaccinated. [still] There are many children and many of those children are at risk of getting sick. ”
Measles is very ancient and has been studied for over a century. And Dr. Scott Rivkees, a public health professor at Brown University, says there are clear steps to take to contain the outbreak. [unvaccinated] “People were vaccinated within three days of exposure,” he says.
He also said people who are infected and have not been vaccinated should quarantine for 21 days because they can spread the virus even if they have no symptoms.
Rivkees is a former Florida Surgeon General. That's the advice that would be given to Florida if it were still in that role.
But Rivkees resigned in 2021, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Ladapo. Before his appointment, Ladapo was part of a group promoting unproven coronavirus treatments. And as Surgeon General, he refused to wear a mask and discouraged people from getting the coronavirus vaccine.
Rivkees worries that skepticism about coronavirus vaccines is spreading to other potentially deadly diseases.
“We've seen an incredible attack on vaccines over the last few years,” he says. ”[Now] Some parents do not vaccinate their children or believe that unvaccinated children can actually cause measles. ”
And when it comes to measles, hesitancy to get vaccinated can put people at risk of unnecessary suffering and even death. Although measles is rare in the United States due to high vaccination rates, it can be serious.
Mild cases of measles may cause a rash, diarrhea, and dehydration. In some cases, it may develop into pneumonia. In rare cases, it can cause swelling of the brain and cause the child to lose vision or hearing.
In late 2022, there was an outbreak in Columbus, Ohio, where 85 people contracted measles, 40% of whom were admitted to the hospital.
It can be fatal. Before a vaccine was developed, measles killed 500 people each year in the United States.
Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. Although people still get infected, measles usually occurs when people travel to other countries and bring it back. According to the CDC, the United States should be able to maintain its “eliminated” status as long as the measles outbreak is contained within a year.
There have been at least 35 cases in 15 states so far this year. This number is likely to continue to rise, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. And experts say more illnesses could emerge in more communities if state and local governments ignore longstanding public health recommendations.
“This is a very serious disease and it is completely preventable with a vaccine,” Khan said.
