In the News... More Kids Contracting Measles, CDC Cites Parenting Fears of Vaccinations

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August 21, 2:41 PM

by Angele Sionna, Early Childhood Parenting Examiner

 

 

Here's a quick look at the CDC report:

• More cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. since January of this year than during the same period in any year since 1996.
• Between January 1 and July 31, 2008, 131 cases were reported.
• 15 patients, including four children younger than 15 months of age, were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Of the 131 patients, 112 were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
• Of the 95 patients eligible for vaccination, "63 were unvaccinated because of their or their parents' philosophical or religious beliefs."

The CDC says:

Although immunization coverage rates for measles vaccine remain high, unvaccinated persons are at risk for measles, and sizeable measles outbreaks can occur in communities with a high number of unvaccinated persons," according to the CDC.

Measles is consistently one of the first diseases to reappear when immunization coverage rates fall. Increases in the proportion of the population declining vaccination for themselves or their children might lead to large-scale outbreaks in the U.S. Currently, Israel and a number of countries in Europe -- including Switzerland, Austria, Italy, United Kingdom -- are reporting sizeable measles outbreaks among populations refusing vaccination.

To read the rest of the report from the CDC, visit cdc.gov.

For more information on measles, read the story in the Chicago Tribune HERE.

To find out more about vaccines, a suggested vaccine schedule, and why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children to be vaccinated, visit their site aap.org.

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