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It was not an April joke (the holidays are a bit superfluous in 2019).
The title is real news from the Associated Press. "The number of measles cases in the United States in the first three months of this year has exceeded the figure of 2018, said health officials," says the organization.
It's not necessary. According to the CDC, the measles vaccine is 97% effective. The problem is that fewer people get vaccinated. "Most people who contract measles have not been vaccinated," reports the AP.
Let's bring this bad news home.
"Increasing exemption rates are making schools in North Dakota vulnerable to epidemics caused by vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, mumps, or whooping cough," Jenny Galbraith said in a statement. epidemiologist at the North Dakota Department of Health.
"A 95% coverage rate of MMR is recommended to maintain collective immunity in schools and prevent cases and epidemics. Epidemics have become more common in the United States because of low immunization rates and ease of movement, "she said.
The fact is that North Dakota is not at a rate of 95% for the MMR vaccine. While the vaccination rate has improved in recent years, it is still only 93.67%, which represents a slight decrease compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, the number of North Dakotans who choose not to vaccinate their children is increasing. Ten years ago, the percentage of children exempted from personal beliefs was only 1.08%, while the number of religious exemptions was 0.1%.
For the 2018-2019 school year, these rates are respectively 3.08 and 0.85%.
The good news is that, in the absence of a medical reason (exemptions not mentioned in the figures I mentioned above), most parents vaccinate their children.
The bad news is that the number of parents who have joined the anti-vaccination fervor has spread over the Internet, with grossly inaccurate movies and the pontifications of unkempt celebrities are multiplying.
It is perhaps not by chance that this war against good medical practice has corresponded to a growing interest in flat Earth theories.
Unlike terrestrial dishes, the anti-vaccination crowd represents a real risk for us all. One that avoids traditional social and political lines. Liberal Hollywood celebrities and right-wing fanatics are both prone to fighting immunization.
Even in my circle of friends, I've seen granola-eating hippies doing common cause with anti-government right-wing advocates for vaccination.
We are living in a time of increasing mistrust of institutions and, given the behavior of everyone from politicians to billionaire technology leaders, I understand.
But vaccinations are based on a well-established and carefully verified medical science that has served us well for generations.
All healthy Americans who can vaccinate must vaccinate, not only to protect their health, but to protect those of us who can not, for medical reasons.
Rob Port, founder of SayAnythingBlog.com, a North Dakota political blog, comments Forum Communications. Listen to his Talk Podcast and follow him on Twitter at @RobPort.
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