As more and more parents choose not to vaccinate their children, some preventable diseases, especially measles and whooping cough, are beginning to emerge more frequently. An immunization catch-up campaign has been launched in the UK in response to the recent measles outbreak. Last year England saw the highest number of measles cases in the last 20 years, with nearly 2,000 cases. Over 200,000 doses of the MMR vaccine have been ordered, and the government aims to vaccine 95% of children ages 10 to 16 years before the start of the new school year. Measles cases have also been seen in the U.S. recently, with 2 new cases in Colorado.
In New Zealand, Ian and Linda Williams decided not to vaccinate their children. Several days after their seven-year-old son was cut on the bottom of his foot he began to experience severe pain. His parents took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with tetanus and taken to intensive care. He has since recovered, and his parents are now speaking out about their story. “The mistake that we made was that we underestimated the diseases and we totally over-estimated the adverse reactions”, said the boy’s father.
Rising rates of whooping cough has also been tied to vaccine exemptions in New York. Counties with higher religious exemption rates had whooping cough rates of 33 out of every 100,000 children. Counties with lower rates saw 22 cases per 100,00 children. Researchers believe the increase in whooping cough may be caused by a new, less effective pertussis vaccine and children skipping or delaying vaccination.
Deciding whether to vaccinate your child or not is something you should always discuss with your physician.
Learn more about vaccine research, the approval process, vaccine facts and myths and more:
- Emory Vaccine Center
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Vaccine Education Center
- World Health Organization
- The CDC
