Health risks of skipping vaccines are clear
Recently, we heard the terrible news that a child had contracted measles while traveling internationally and brought it back to Connecticut — Fairfield County, to be specific. What’s even more frightening is that Fairfield County seems to be the heart of the anti-vaccine movement in the state. The unvaccinated children there are at higher risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and meningitis because they are not protected. A similar situation happened in New York a few years ago, resulting in a larger outbreak, putting many at risk and costing the state millions in contact tracing and mitigation efforts.
As a nurse and former deputy commissioner of public health in Connecticut I understand the critical crossroads we are at in this state. Some have said we are “hyping the measles case” to “drum up support” for legislation that will strengthen Connecticut’s vaccine policies by removing the nonmedical exemption. If sharing the truth about the measles is “hyping,” then we have bigger problems to worry about.
The fact is measles is highly contagious. According to the CDC, it is a serious disease that can be especially dangerous for babies and children. The scientific literature demonstrates that measles has a secondary attack rate of 90 percent. In other words, one infected child who comes into close contact with 10 people who are nonimmune, will infect nine out of 10 of those people. Those nine people could include a cancer patient, an individual on immunosuppressing medications, a newborn who hasn’t received their vaccine yet or an elderly person.
The pandemic has heightened concerns over vaccines as many families stayed home and away from health care providers, missing scheduled appointments and delaying visits. With students returning to school, it is more important than ever that we ensure that children are up to date with their vaccines so that we don’t face outbreaks from other preventable diseases. The measles case in Fairfield County emphasizes that need.
Meningitis is another preventable disease to worry about during the pandemic. As students think about heading off to college in the fall, making sure they are up to date and vaccinated against both MenB and MenACWY is essential. It is important to understand the severity of this disease, and that’s not hype, it is reality. Even with rapid treatment, 10 to 15 out of every 100 people who get meningococcal disease will die. Up to one in five who survive meningococcal disease will have long-term disabilities, including limb amputations, deafness, brain damage and issues with kidney function.
The good news is that we have vaccines that protect us from both of these diseases — it is critical that we use them. By removing the nonmedical exemption in Connecticut, we will be taking an important step toward protecting our children and the communities where they live. Many organizations and their members support this approach. Let’s not let a vocal minority in Connecticut put us all at risk. That’s just the facts. No hype.