If the measles continue to rise, CDC vaccinations dampen

If the measles continue to rise, CDC vaccinations dampen

From Jen Schwartz Published by Jeanna Bryner

Since the outbreaks of measles in 19 US states have spread further, leaders of the control and prevention of diseases have buried a new evaluation by their own experts, who have found that there is a high risk of catching measles in areas in areas in which the vaccination rates are low, according to an article that was published by Prublica on March 28. However, this plan was canceled and signaled that the agency may react to the pressure of the vaccination critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now a secretary for health and human service.

Why is it important

Measles caused by a highly contagious and dangerous virus are prevented very effectively by the measles mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, the vaccination rates in the United States have decreased in recent years. In the past, the Messaging strategy of the CDC to promote vaccination emphasized how important it is to protect both yourself and the community as a whole, in particular people in need of protection that cannot yet be vaccinated, such as young babies. What is worried about the recent inactivity of the CDC is not only the decision to bury the news, say health experts, but also the justification of the agency for this: In a statement on Prublica, a CDC spokesman wrote: “The decision to vaccination is a personal”, a message that does not reflect the scientific consensus for many years, but the sentiment of vaccines such as Kennedy.

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Why vaccination skepticism remains a big problem

Vaccines, especially the MMR vaccine, have been a goal of a rampant misinformation in recent years. A single fraudulent study had claimed a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, but this link was exposed years ago. Many other studies were looking for a connection and have not been able to find any. However, the lack of confidence in the security of vaccines remains a major problem in public health: a survey recently carried out by the University of Pennsylvania showed that the percentage of people who believed that vaccines have already become unsafe, from 9 percent to 16 percent between 2021 and 2023 were increased. Masles were removed from the United States from 2000. But outbreaks are becoming increasingly common. The total number of people who have so far tested measles positively this year has already been higher than every entire year since 2019.

What does this mean for the CDC and public health news

Public health officers learned a lot from the Covid pandemic. The main lessons were that frequent and transparent communication is the key to creating and maintaining trust in the public, say educators for public health. Keeping back essential updates and best practice undermines these goals. It can also prevent data and guidelines from reaching local public health services in good time.

What you can do to protect yourself

If you are an adult who was vaccinated against MMR as a child, you can check whether you are still protected with a simple blood test. If they were born between 1957 and 1975, they probably only have a dose of the vaccine instead of the two doses that are specified today. The second dose increases the effectiveness of the protection of the vaccine from measles from 93 percent to 97 percent. If you have only received one dose and lived in an area in which a breakout takes place or works in certain environments such as health facilities, you may want to talk to your health service provider about your risk and consider an additional dose.