U.S. surgeon general urges parents to vaccinate kids

During a stop in Orlando, the new U.S. surgeon general said the measles outbreak deeply concerns him because the illness is highly contagious and can lead to complications and death.

“My message to parents is to please, please, please vaccinate your children. It is the best strategy that we have for preventing kids from getting sick,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy.

He stressed that “the science tells us very clearly that there is no evidence of any link between the measles vaccine and autism, and there are no long-term adverse effects from

Murthy’s visit to Orlando is part a 20-city tour he’s conducting in his first 100 days in office to learn about challenges and creative solutions in different communities.

He met with local officials and community leaders at Orlando Health before taking a tour of the facility’s new tower.

“It was fantastic,” said Anne Packham, the lead Central Florida navigator for the federal health-insurance marketplace, who attended the meeting. “We talked about the Affordable Care Act and other public-health issues

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vaccine.” and how important it is to have community support.”

“There are a number of great organizations that are doing fantastic work here in Orlando, and one of my hopes is that as we proceed on this listening tour to learn more about these lessons and share them between communities,” Murthy said.

Murthy said that Orlando’s main health challenges are similar to what he’s seen across the nation: mental-health-care access and integration, and high rates of obesity and chronic diseases.