With vaccines available, it’s dangerous in Fantasyland

Just how contagious is measles? Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90 percent of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Which is why every day since Disneyland was identified as ground zero of the Jan. 1 measles outbreak, more cases are reported.

Health officials say 79 cases have been diagnosed in California, with an additional cases in 11 states, including Utah, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Mexico. Arizona is on the list, with seven confirmed cases and possibly many more to come: On Thursday, health officials in the Phoenix area — where thousands are arriving daily for the Super Bowl on Sunday — were tracking more than 1,000 people, including at least 195 children, who might have been exposed. One of the seven cases of measles involves a woman who walked into a Maricopa County pediatric clinic recently, potentially exposing about 200 children. Officials are asking residents who have not been vaccinated and who might have been exposed, to stay home from school, work or day care for 21 days.

Scary, scary stuff. The only upside: A spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health said the outbreak had prompted a surge in requests for vaccinations, the New York Times reported. Here in Snohomish County, pediatrician Wendy Sue Swanson told the Washington Post the Disneyland outbreak is motivating parents who might have fallen behind on their children’s shots, or were on the fence about their necessity or safety, to take action. “Their eagerness was different,” Swanson said of one couple. “I think it is changing people.”

These types of parents, labeled “vaccine-hesitant,” are more prevalent than the hardcore “anti-vaxxers,” according to medical studies. An estimated 5 percent to 11 percent of U.S. parents have skipped at least one vaccination or delayed a shot, compared to only 1 percent to 3 percent of parents who object to all vaccinations, the Post reported. Getting the “vaccine-hesitant” on board would have major, positive implications, doctors say.

Before measles vaccines became commonplace in 1963, about 3 million to 4 million Americans a year contracted the disease, the CDC said, and 400 to 500 died from it. Because the vaccine is so successful, many people, including doctors, have never encountered a case of it, leading some parents to think the threat had been eliminated. But the threat is only eliminated by immunization.

Meanwhile this week, the U.S. government approved plans to donate $1 billion over the next four years to Geneva-based GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to fund immunizations for millions of children in developing countries. Since 2000, GAVI has been able to immunize a half-billion children, preventing more than 6 million deaths. However, lack of access to vaccines in developing countries results in 1.5 million preventable deaths every year, and more funding is required to immunize a further 300 million children.

The disconnect between this global effort to eliminate preventable disease and parents in developed countries who refuse or are reluctant to vaccinate their children is mind-boggling and dangerous.

The science is indisputable. So please get off the fence and get your children (and/or yourself) vaccinated.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.