Vaccination rates are declining and measles cases are climbing. More preventable diseases could re-emerge next
CNN
The measles outbreak is surging in West Texas, especially in under-vaccinated communities, but it’s not just coverage with the measles vaccine that is lagging behind. The use of other key vaccines in the childhood immunization schedule has decreased too.
The measles outbreak is surging in West Texas, especially in under-vaccinated communities, but it’s not just coverage with the measles vaccine that is lagging behind. The use of other key vaccines in the childhood immunization schedule has decreased too. With lower vaccination rates, experts worry about what vaccine preventable illnesses we could see next. Coverage with measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP), polio, and varicella, or chickenpox vaccines, all declined in more than 30 states last year compared with the year before. “We are extremely concerned that all of these vaccine preventable illnesses may potentially be making a comeback … But that is, sadly, what may be a reality for us If we continue on a path of questioning legitimate science,” said Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatric emergency physician at PM Pediatrics in Annapolis, Maryland. Here are some of the illnesses that could emerge again. The percentage of kindergartners who received the DTaP vaccine has steadily declined over the past five years, leaving thousands of children vulnerable. Protection among those who are vaccinated can also fade over time.
