Over the years, I have spoken with many families regarding the alternatives to vaccination. Many parents believe that natural immunity is superior to vaccine-produced immunity. Why not let children have natural immunity? During this holiday season, you will encounter family and friends advocating against vaccination. Some of these people might even be healthcare practitioners. They might suggest guys like me are overeducated idiots who recommend vaccination for profit. Whereas the overeducated idiot part might be genuine, I can assure you that the profit part is not. Let’s explore that idea together.
Measles was once a leading cause of childhood mortality. Since the introduction of the measles vaccine, cases of measles have become few and far between. Let’s explore life before the vaccine and how vaccination has changed the course of this highly contagious disease.
LIFE BEFORE THE VACCINE
Before widespread vaccination, every person got measles. Most people got measles in childhood. By the time they turned 15, nearly all children had contracted the disease. Here’s what the pre-vaccine era looked like:
1. Massive Case Numbers:
– In the United States, 3–4 million cases occurred annually.
– In the entire world, measles infected tens of millions of people each year.
2. Severe Complications:
– Pneumonia (1 in 10 cases): Leading cause of measles-related deaths.
– Infection of the Brain (encephalitis) (1 in 1,000 cases): Brain swelling, leading to permanent brain damage or death.
– Blindness and Severe Diarrhea were especially common in malnourished children.
3. High Mortality Rates:
– Measles claimed 2.6 million lives yearly worldwide before the vaccine.
– During the 1950s and 1960s, In the US, 400–500 deaths occurred each year, even as healthcare improved. In the early 1900s, the US had about 10
thousand yearly deaths from measles.
4. Epidemic Waves:
– Measles outbreaks swept through communities in cycles every 2–3 years, with no population spared.
THEN CAME THE VACCINE
The first measles vaccine became available in 1963, beginning a new era of disease prevention. It quickly became apparent that vaccination was the most powerful tool against measles.
1. Cases Decreased:
– In the US, cases plummeted by 99% after routine vaccination began.
– By 2000, measles was eliminated in the US, meaning no continuous disease transmission for over 12 months.
2. Global Impact:
– Worldwide measles deaths decreased by 73% between 2000 and 2018.
– Vaccination campaigns saved an estimated 23.2 million lives globally between 2000 and 2020.
3. Herd Immunity:
– High vaccination rates protect not only those immunized but also those who cannot receive the vaccine (e.g., infants or immunocompromised individuals). Protecting our community requires that ALL people be vaccinated.
SHOULD WE CONTINUE TO VACCINATE
Despite the vaccine’s success, measles continues to pose a threat due to vaccination gaps. Recent trends highlight areas for improvement. In 2019, global measles cases surged, with the US experiencing 1,274 cases, the highest since 1992. The increase in cases is attributable to the large body of misinformation on the internet. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted vaccination programs, leading to a rise in cases in 2023, with 10.3 million worldwide cases reported. Measles is present around the world. It is just a plane ride away from America.
Poverty and ignorance are the two most significant challenges to a world free of vaccine-preventable illnesses. Unfortunately, many poorer nations lack the financial resources to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. If you are unable to pay for healthcare, then your child will not be vaccinated. The Gates Foundation gives money to provide vaccines for poor children worldwide. Even so, this money is just a drop in the bucket. Every child in an underdeveloped nation with measles keeps that virus alive in the world. Air travel has made our world a tiny place.
MISINFORMATION
Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor, is infamous for his fraudulent 1998 study falsely linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. His paper, published in The Lancet, a well-known British medical journal, was later retracted due to ethical violations and lack of scientific evidence, but the damage was done. Wakefield’s claims fueled vaccine fears worldwide, leading to decreased vaccination rates and subsequent outbreaks of measles. The medical community has widely condemned his actions, yet his legacy of misinformation contributes to vaccine hesitancy and public health crises globally.
ROBERT F KENNEDY JR
In November 2019, a measles outbreak devastated Samoa, killing over 80 people, most of them young children. The highly contagious disease likely spread to Samoa from an infected traveler from New Zealand, where measles outbreaks were already surging. However, low vaccination rates made the situation far worse—fewer than one-third of eligible one-year-olds had been vaccinated.
This drop in vaccination coverage was fueled by fear and misinformation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine advocate, sent a letter to Samoa’s prime minister during the outbreak, falsely claiming that the measles vaccine could have caused the crisis. He suggested that the vaccine might have failed to provide immunity, triggered more dangerous strains of the virus, or even spread the disease—none of which is supported by science.
In reality, vaccines are safe and essential for preventing outbreaks. The Samoan government eventually launched a door-to-door vaccination campaign, ending the epidemic and saving lives. This effort highlighted the importance of high vaccination rates in protecting communities.
The tragedy in Samoa serves as a reminder of the deadly consequences of vaccine misinformation. Trust in vaccines is crucial to preventing outbreaks and keeping children safe from preventable diseases like measles.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
As a pediatrician, if I were to suggest withholding a life-saving medicine from a patient, I could lose my license, be sued for malpractice, and possibly be convicted of murder. Worse than that … I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Unfortunately, celebrities and politicians aren’t held accountable for their opinions. Famous and well-known people aren’t the best sources of information.
LASTING IMPACT
I sometimes try to imagine how the world would have been different if the vaccine had never existed. Let’s suppose Mozart died of measles. We would never have known his music. When we vaccinate, we protect our children and ourselves, our neighbors and their children, and the future of our communities. The COVID pandemic reminded us how infectious diseases can change the world instantly. Preventing disease with vaccines is far better than losing millions of lives. We all lost family and friends during the pandemic. Do we need a measles epidemic in America to remind us why vaccination against measles is essential? Why can’t we learn from history? By far, our greatest enemy is ignorance. Do we want Robert F Kennedy Jr to be in charge of American healthcare? Let’s not learn the hard way. The good old days weren’t very good. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors about the importance of vaccination. Fight against ignorance with information.