Measles Outbreak US: Anti-Vaccine Groups Blamed for Disneyland Outbreak

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A research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics attributed anti-vaccination as the main cause for the recent measles outbreak in both the U.S. and Canada.

The research was published last Monday, March 16, and stated that "Rapid growth of cases across the United States indicates that a substantial percentage of the exposed population may be susceptible to infection due to lack of, or incomplete, vaccination."

The study attempts to illuminate the "prevalence of vaccination-hesitant parents" and the growing anti-vaccination movement. In the same study, they made use of publicly available data in order to analyze the effects of substandard to zero vaccination compliance in the general populace.

A graph was shown to scientifically illustrate vaccination effectiveness among the exposed populace. And given that measles is a contagious disease with a high transmission rate, the researchers conclude that vaccination rates for the disease to reach 96% to 99% is important. Attaining the mentioned percentage is important in order to "preserve herd immunity" and prevent outbreaks in the future.

Furthermore, the scientists also mentioned that populations with low vaccination rates are at greater risk, and unvaccinated individuals are more likely to get the disease.

The Orange County's health officer, Dr. Eric Handler, confirmed that there are 35 measles cases in Orange County. There were 14 children, 13 of which did not get vaccinated. One got a single dose of MMR, while two others were still too young to receive the shots. The 22 cases acquired measles in the community and the remaining 13 caught the disease when they visited Disneyland last December 17, 2014.

"Most of the adults and nearly all of the children who contracted measles in Orange County were not vaccinated, including two children who were too young to be vaccinated," Handler said.

"This underscores the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of measles, and protecting children who are too young to be vaccinated," Handler noted in an article at the Times of San Diego.

The measles outbreak in a number of states in the U.S. and in Canada was traced back to the Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, according to the CDC. However, CDC announced that the outbreaks in Washington, Illinois and Nevada are not connected to the Disneyland incident. From January 1 to March 13, 2015, there have been 176 cases of measles in 17 states of the United States, as stated in the CDC website. According to the CBC, there have been over 120 infected with measles in Canada.