[JSR] Recent Surge in Measles Indicates Need for Vaccinations
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 971 known cases of measles in America so far in 2019. The number of measles cases is eight more than the total number of cases in all of 1992, which was the former highest number of outbreaks in the US since vaccines were introduced. Measles is highly contagious, and it can cause severe respiratory symptoms, fevers, rashes, deafness, or even encephalitis, or brain inflammation, in some cases. However, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of CDC, states in response to the New York Times that, “Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated”.
He also added, “Again, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not cause autism. The greater danger is the disease that vaccination prevents.” Vaccinations also help stabilize entire communities because it prevents those who cannot be immunized, like infants or people with medical reasons, from contracting the disease.
Measles is just one of the more recognized recent disease outbreaks among many others, which include deadly diseases such as whooping cough, mumps, meningococcal disease, influenza, HPV, and Hepatitis A. Although the number of deaths has been significantly reduced over the years, whooping cough once killed about 9,000 people in the US each year, and 80,000 Americans died of the flu in the winter of 2017, the highest death toll in around 40 years.
Continuation of the refusal to vaccinate one’s kids can result in further outbreaks of any vaccine-preventable disease, however, it would also ruin the herd immunity we have worked hard to achieve throughout centuries. If this layer of societal protection against diseases were to be removed, there is no telling just how many more outbreaks, infections, and even deaths our society would have to face.
The United States guarantees its citizens certain rights and freedoms that not even public health concerns can take away, like the right to choose whether or not to be vaccinated. But we need to consider the effects of our actions, especially if it’s derived from ignorance or misinformation before it starts affecting innocent people around us. For a safer community, we need to start vaccinating our youth and taking more measures to ensure that we maintain our public health in good condition.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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