Measles Madness Blog
Measles Madness
In light of the recent ban on unvaccinated children in public places in Rochester County, NY, I thought it would be good to look at some facts regarding measles transmission, risks, and treatment. If Rockland County is really concerned about stopping the spread of measles, from a common sense point of view, doesn’t science dictate that public health should be quarantining the sick instead of the healthy? Shouldn’t the ban be on people showing active symptoms of the disease from both vaccinated and unvaccinated, child and adult populations? To ban unvaccinated children only from public venues is highly suspicious and unfounded. Is the unvaccinated population to blame for the outbreak or could it be the fact that the MMR is a “live” virus vaccine as stated on the MMR vaccine package insert found on the FDA.gov website which reads, “Excretion of small amounts of the live attenuated rubella virus from the nose or throat has occurred in the majority of susceptible individuals 7 to 28 days after vaccination.” In fact, most hospitals post warnings about visiting immune-compromised patients shortly after receiving vaccinations with live viruses.Is the concept of the herd immunity theory scientifically valid and really an established fact? The following referenced article by a credible subject matter expert reveals the facts about the transmission of measles and other diseases that vaccines attempt to prevent. In summary, measles transmission risk is no greater from unvaccinated people than it is from vaccinated people.
Parents are often warned of the risks associated with the Measles virus, but are not often clearly told about the vaccine risks or about strategies for managing the disease if you contract it. Contracting measles can put your child at risk for pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis (either viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis), and dangerous brain inflammation.However, according to the Measles Vaccines WHO Position paper for 2017, in developed countries death due to measles is rare and the case-fatality rate is usually only 0.01–0.1%.Children with a healthy immune system will likely fully recover without complications and have permanent lifetime immunity to the disease as a result. Malnourished children are more susceptible to severe complications from the disease, which can be minimized by the administration of Vitamin A,which acts as an immunomodulator that boosts the antibody responses to measles and decreases the risk of serious complications. Vitamin A supplementation along with good hydration and rest is a simple and affordable approach that can be taken to improve recovery and mitigate complications in the event that your child may contract this disease. You can ask your doctor about proper dosage since too much vitamin A can be toxic. Published graphs do show a reduction in cases after mass vaccination, however, there is no guarantee that an individual will not contract the disease even after being vaccinated since the vaccine does not confer permanent immunity as is being discovered in recent outbreak statistics.
Measles is uncomfortable, but statistically, the risk of long-term damage from it is less than getting cancer or autism in this generation. According to the CDC it’s 1 in 1,000, while cancer is approx. 1 in 500 or autism 1 in 59 and there are no vaccines that can prevent those. Vaccines in general contain ingredients which are both carcinogenic and neurotoxic, so too the MMR vaccine is not without risks.In the Merk Product Insert itself there are 2 pages of observed adverse reactions from clinical trials listed including serious complications and death. According to the National Vaccine Information Center, as of November 30, 2018, there have been more than 93,179 reports of measles vaccine reactions, hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following measles vaccinations made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), including 459 related deaths, 6,936 hospitalizations, and 1,748 related disabilities. Over 50% of those adverse events occurred in children three years old and under. However, the numbers of vaccine-related injuries and deaths reported to VAERS may not reflect the true number of serious health problems that occur develop after MMR vaccination.
Parents are entitled to informed consent to make their own risk/benefit analysis and should have the freedom of choice in medical decisions for themselves and their children. The bottom line is that parents should not be manipulated with fear and made to feel bullied into forced vaccination of their child. The antidote to fear is knowledge. Take the time to study both sides of the issue until you come to the decision that feels right for your family.
