Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is dangerous and can even cause death. Children under the age of 5 are most vulnerable and adults over the age of 20. In 30% of cases complications develop. The most common among them, according to a survey conducted between 1982 and 1995, is severe diarrhea (8%), inflammation of the middle ear (7% in children only) and pneumonia (6%) which can be viral and sometimes complicated by bacterial pneumonia. Most deaths occur as a result of these complications. In addition, about 0.1% of cases develop encephalitis, brain inflammation.
The disease symptoms appear approximately 15 days after exposure and an initial rash. Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, neck stiffness, coughing, confusion and in complicated cases finally coma. About 15% of those who suffer fall into a coma die as a result. In 25% neurological damage will remain.
This disease was almost eradicated from the world when a vaccine preventing it was found and distributed in the late 1960s. Mass immunization put Measles, like many other viral diseases, under control, its scope and impact were drastically reduced. Preventing an outbreak requires mass immunity, a coverage of 95% of the population. Then a new world-wide faith-based trend of vaccine intimidation began and was developed by a group of gurus who lacked medical understanding and changed the world without realizing the implication nor considering that one sick person could infect 18 people around them.
Vaccination opponents have made the vaccine the main threat instead of the disease. And thus renewed outbreaks started. 189,000 cases of measles were detected in the world in 2018.
In the past, there were those who argued that there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Numerous studies have been carried out to investigate this claim, and despite great efforts, s no connection between the vaccine and autism have been established.
The first link between immunization and autism was made in a study published in 1998 by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, in which he hypothesized that the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) was associated with a syndrome of autistic behavior. It was later discovered that the study was falsified. Wakefield was bribed by a lawyer who sued the drug company on behalf of the alleged children with autism, and that Wakefield himself issued a patent for a “non-autism” MMR vaccine before he did the study.
In light of the falsified experiment, the Lancet, one of the two leading newspapers in the medical world, erased it from its records. Yet opponents still use this falsified experiment as a reason to avoid vaccinations.
In many western countries, measles vaccination is a basic condition for attending school. In many states in the United States, the law requires vaccinations in order to attend public school. So access to vaccines is great, and awareness is raised among as many populations as possible. So although the measles vaccine is safe and affordable, outbreak occurs because some communities do not vaccinate enough of the population.
In our opinion, anyone who does not vaccinate their children endangers their lives and also the lives of those around them. The mortality rate raises to 1 in 1000. A real danger. We believe that every child in preschool onward must be required to present their immunization certificate before attending school at the least in order to avoid infecting other children. A family that did not vaccinate their children and caused an outbreak should be held responsible and fined accordingly.
