Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Lessons From A New Massive Study About The Safety Of Vaccines; Myths About Vaccines Are Causing Great Harms
The Washington Post: Public Health Shouldn’t Be Invasive. Vaccination Skeptics Make That Harder.
Another massive study has discovered no causal connection between the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and autism. This time, the study’s cohort consisted of every child born in Denmark from 1999 through December 2010 — more than 650,000 children. The conclusion? “The study strongly supports that MMR vaccination does not increase the risk for autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children, and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination.” (Michael Gerson, 3/7)
Bloomberg: Measles Makes A Comeback As Vaccinations Wane
For years, doctors have steadfastly debunked the unfounded claims against inoculation for measles. Yet false beliefs that the vaccine might cause seizures, autism, mercury poisoning or death have survived and proliferated, spread like a contagion via television and social media. These myths have caused great harm — a fact that’s increasingly apparent. (3/7)
The Washington Post: States Are Failing On Vaccinations. The Federal Government Must Lead.
In the year 2000, the United States essentially claimed victory against childhood diseases, eliminating measles and making the prevalence of other childhood diseases, such as mumps, extremely rare. Today, we are losing. Eleven states have reported measles cases, and a checkerboard of communities across the United States lack the necessary vaccine coverage needed to maintain the threshold herd immunity of about 96 percent — when vaccination of a substantial portion of a population protects everyone. The costs in human and financial terms are enormous. (Scott C. Ratzan, Barry R. Bloom, Lawrence O. Gostin and Jonathan Fielding, 3/7)
The New York Times: Finding Compassion For ‘Vaccine-Hesitant’ Parents
“Why are parents not vaccinating their kids? What the hell is wrong with people?” As a father of two young children, I’ve had outbursts like this on more than one occasion as I sit in my Play-Doh- and Lego-littered family room, reading the latest news about measles and other preventable viruses making a global comeback. (Wajahat Ali, 3/7)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Measles Is Back, Thanks To Misinformation And Loopholes In Vaccination Rules.
America is grappling with the most predictable epidemic imaginable: Measles is back — just like health professionals warned it would be as the anti-vaccination movement has grown. That Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — a physician, no less — lent credibility to that misguided movement during a recent hearing is shameful. At least 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger was there to tell how he bucked his anti-vaccination upbringing after recognizing the misinformation for what it is. (3/7)
