We at ACSH are happy to
give a shout-out to Sheila M. Eldred, whose August op-ed on Discovery.com reflects what
we have been screaming for years—that the failure to have children vaccinated
is a terrible mistake that is caused by a number of factors.
One of which is
“exemption,” an increasingly common (yet foolish) loophole in state vaccination
laws that allows parents to forego vaccinations for their children, typically
for no reason. Eldred says, “The number of Americans requesting exemptions for
vaccinations is continuing to rise, a 2012 study found. The current measles
outbreak connected to Eagle Mountain International Church case in Newark,
Texas, is a perfect example of how diseases that can be controlled through
vaccinations are making comebacks in pockets.”
Eldred mentions ACSH
trustee, Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases and
director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia. Regarding measles, Offit says, “The outbreak in Texas is the
perfect example of how contagious measles is. The viral respiratory disease is
also potentially serious: it can lead to pneumonia. Of children younger than 5
years who had it in 2011, 38 percent were hospitalized.”…..To Read More….
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