The United States is entering a public health crisis. Parents create it.

Measles was less expected in the United States. The disease is usually concentrated in poor countries, low-resource countries and areas of war and conflict. The measles vaccine is considered the best preventive measure, the vast majority of vaccinated children never having the disease, even with a single dose of vaccination. Since the advent of measles vaccine in the 1960s, the number of measles cases in the United States has been reduced by more than 95%. Immunization is rightly considered one of the greatest successes of American public health in the 21st century, with millions of cases of disease averted each year. Since 2000, the measles vaccine has saved more than 20 million lives worldwide.

So, what has happened? We did not become a war zone or ran out of resources or vaccines. We were not facing a crisis – we invited one. We now risk a public health disaster. A dangerous but preventable cocktail of medical misinformation, conspiracy theories, false news, political dialogue, anti-vaccination movements and personal convictions is at the root of this global wave of many infectious and preventable diseases. by vaccination, who have made a global push with the United States. to be an unlikely victim. Given this dangerous cocktail and its rapid spread by social and mass media, it is not surprising that the World Health Organization ranks hesitation with regard to among the top 10 health threats in 2019. Measles cases are expected to increase and continue to spread around the world. WHO, the main reason is the inadequacy of immunization coverage.

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In the United States, parents must take primary responsibility for the spread and lack of measles prevention as they are the main actors and decision-makers. In addition, many parents spread or believe in the dangerous cocktail mentioned above. To make matters worse, mothers and fathers use exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children. While all US states have student vaccination laws, the majority of states also allow exemptions based on personal beliefs, religious values ​​or medical reasons. Unscrupulous doctors also add fuel to the fire by contributing to the exemptions. This is despite the fact that powerful and responsible professional organizations such as the American Medical Association have always supported limited exemptions and strongly oppose exemptions from vaccination.

There is little time left to act and, as vaccines have been shown to be effective, we need to eliminate all these loopholes that prevent the vaccination of American children. At present, many states are trying to pass new bills and new laws to deal with the measles crisis caused by the lack of vaccinations and exemptions. Pediatricians and medical societies urge parents to flee all myths and vaccinate their children. In some cases, children try to be vaccinated despite parental disapproval and resistance.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the FDA Commissioner, warns that the federal government may need to take steps to ensure and enforce child immunization. Finally, there are criminal and civil laws on negligence for parents regarding children and firearms, juvenile delinquents and lack of medical care for children. Is it time to include immunization in this setting of neglect and parental responsibility? Especially when they risk the lives of other children by not vaccinating their own children? It may be our last resort to save our country's children from preventable diseases and death.

Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani is a physician and professor of community health and Ball State University.