Despite the recent declaration that the measles outbreak in Texas has ended, the largest outbreak of measles recorded in the United States overall in three decades continues, with ongoing outbreaks in a several other states. Explanations for the current situation include declining confidence in the public health establishment following the recent pandemic and increased vaccine hesitancy. The latter has been brought on, at least in part, by organized disinformation campaigns spreading lies regarding the benefits and risks of vaccines.
People across the political spectrum are susceptible to vaccine misinformation and may refrain from having their children vaccinated. These individuals need to know that assertions that vaccination has not had a major public health impact because infectious diseases such as smallpox, polio, and measles receded on their own are just simply false. Vaccination was clearly responsible for eradicating or eliminating these diseases from our shores as the recent resurgence of measles with falling vaccination rates illustrates conclusively. Far from being some untested or novel technology, vaccination has now been saving lives for hundreds of years by safely training our immune systems to recognize and control or eliminate potentially life-threatening bacteria and viruses. In the modern era, this has been accomplished through the administration of a variety of different well-studied, high-quality, safe, and effective vaccines.
Which brings us back to measles, a disease previously eliminated in the United States. Measles kills roughly 1 in 1000 healthy children who are unvaccinated. Contrary to falsehoods that have been widely spread, healthy children can and do die of measles at this rate if they are not vaccinated; the death rate is even higher in children with preexisting illness.
The facts about the measles vaccine, given as part of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are clear and compelling. It provides children with approximately 97% protection from getting measles and with essentially 100% protection from death caused by the virus, and this protection stays with them well into adulthood. Additionally, preventing measles also prevents the decreased immunity that can occur for up to several years following infection with the virus. Such impaired immunity can make children more susceptible to other viral and bacterial infections. In addition to the individual benefits that vaccination brings, getting children vaccinated also helps protect others in the community. This “herd immunity” helps protect otherwise healthy infants under a year of age and children who suffer from conditions that prevent them from making a good immune response to the vaccine (the immunocompromised) from getting measles.
In terms of side effects, measles vaccine is simply not a cause of autism. It also does not cause death or any of the serious complications that the virus does. While about one in 10 children may develop a low-grade fever about a week after receiving the vaccine, only 4 per 10,000 who receive it get a high fever that could be associated with a febrile seizure. Other uncommon reactions that occur in less than 1 in 10,000 children are allergic reactions or a low blood platelet count (platelets help the blood to clot). These are manageable side effects that rarely have any lasting consequences.
Individuals who remain concerned about giving the vaccine to their children should consult reputable and reliable sources of information, and most importantly, should speak with their children’s healthcare providers. Those who have concerns based on faith should know that most major religious groups have endorsed vaccination because it saves children’s lives and should speak to their clergy.
Given today’s spread of the measles virus across the United States, increasing vaccination rates now as school starts, when further spread is quite possible, could save children’s lives. By following the scientific facts and acting now, together we can again eliminate measles from our shores and maintain measles elimination status in the United States, which we will lose if the current outbreaks continue through January 2026. And much more importantly, we can save additional children from needlessly suffering or dying from an illness that is quite preventable.
Peter Marks, MD, PhD is an independent pharmaceutical consultant who previously served as the director of the part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responsible for vaccines.
Peter Pitts is President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA Associate Commissioner.
