Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even During A Measles Outbreak, Hundreds Of Protesters Flock To Hearing On Tighter Vaccination Requirements
The Washington Post: Washington Measles Outbreak Draws Crowd To Hearing On Vaccine Law
Anti-vaccine activists packed a public hearing Friday to oppose a bill that would make it harder for families to opt out of vaccination requirements for measles, mumps and rubella amid the state’s worst measles outbreak in more than two decades. An estimated 700 people, most of them opposed to stricter requirements, lined up before dawn in the cold, toting strollers and hand-lettered signs, to sit in the hearing, which was so crowded that staff opened up additional rooms to accommodate the crowd. Many gathered outside afterward for a rally. (Sun and Young, 2/8)
The Hill: Hundreds Protest In Washington State For Right Not To Vaccinate Children Amid Measles Outbreak
The modern anti-vaccination movement has picked up recently, despite research finding that the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) is not linked to autism. “I want to remind you that the MMR vaccine is extremely safe and highly effective,” Washington state health secretary John Wiesman told lawmakers, according to the Times, adding that “all reputable scientific studies have found no relation between measles and autism.” (Frazin, 2/9)
The Washington Post: Unvaccinated Teens Are Fact-Checking Their Parents — And Trying To Get Shots On Their Own
Ethan Lindenberger, frustrated by years of arguments about his mother’s anti-vaccination stance, staged a quiet defection on Reddit. The Norwalk, Ohio, teenager needed advice, he said, on how to inoculate himself against both infectious disease and his family’s dogma. At 18, he was old enough, Lindenberger explained. He wanted to get vaccinated. But he didn’t know how. “My parents think vaccines are some kind of government scheme,” Lindenberger wrote days before Thanksgiving. “But, because of their beliefs I’ve never been vaccinated for anything, god knows how I’m still alive.” (Horton, 2/10)
The Hill: Teen Defies Parents, Gets First Vaccinations During Measles Outbreaks In US
In the interview, Lindenberger said he had gone without vaccines for diseases like measles, rubella, mumps and hepatitis for his entire life due to his mother’s anti-vaccine beliefs. He told the publication that his mother, Jill Wheeler, was influenced by online misinformation, including a debunked study that claims certain vaccines could lead to autism and a theory that claims vaccines were linked to brain damage. (Folley, 2/9)
NPR: Teen Gets Vaccines During Measles Outbreak, Despite Mom's Belief
At a time of widespread measles outbreaks in the Pacific Northwest, causing Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency, more minors are raising questions about whether they can provide their own consent to get vaccines. According to the CDC, for month of January this year, measles have been confirmed in 10 states, with the agency monitoring other outbreaks in New York state and New York City. (Morris and Simon, 2/9)
The Oregonian: Weekend Brings No New Cases In Vancouver-Area Measles Outbreak
The weekend brought a break in new measles cases amid an outbreak centered in the Vancouver area. Clark County Public Health reported no new confirmed or suspected cases. Meanwhile, blood tests confirmed a man with measles-like symptoms in the Salem area did not have the highly contagious virus. That leaves the number of Clark County cases at 53, with two more cases suspected. Outside of the county, that number is 58, including four people in Oregon and one man in King County. (Njust, 2/10)
And in other vaccination news —
The Oregonian: Proposal Would Eliminate Personal Vaccine Exemption For Oregon School Kids
Thousands of Oregon children would have to get vaccinated or stay out of school under a bill being prepared by Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland. The proposal comes amid a measles outbreak that has infected 52 children in Clark County and has spread to Oregon, where four people have been infected. Greenlick’s bill, which is still being finalized, would eliminate non-medical exemptions for unvaccinated school children. (Zarkhin, 2/11)
KCUR: How Kansas Hopes To Boost Low Vaccine Rates To Protect Kids Against Meningitis And More
Thousands of Kansas children and teens go without vaccines that could save their lives. A series of policy changes, though, could protect more Kansans against everything from cervical cancer to swift-acting meningococcal disease. ...Outbreaks of meningococcal disease are rare but aggressive and scary where they occur. Nearly a third of patients suffer serious effects, such as brain damage, loss of limbs or even death. Kansas would require the vaccine that protects against four types of the disease. A separate vaccine against another type seen in recent college campus outbreaks would not be required. (Llopis-Jepsen, 2/8)
KQED: California Made It Hard To Avoid Vaccinating Kids. Medical Waivers Have Tripled. Now What?
Three years after California stopped allowing families to easily opt out of childhood vaccines, the number of kids getting medical waivers has tripled—the result, critics say, of some doctors loosely issuing exemptions to help families get around the law. The decrease has left some counties, including Nevada and Plumas, below the recommended vaccination rate required for “community immunity” against dangerous diseases such as measles and whooping cough. (Aguilera, 2/10)
