Measles warning article - vaccinations dropping off
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The Next Health Crisis Could Be the Measles
Tara Santora
May 19, 2020, 4:12 PM EDT
The rules of quarantine and the call for social distancing for the coronavirus have made us many families wary of even leaving the house. Right now, this is a good thing. Epidemiologists and public health experts across the country agree that staying home and social distancing are the most effective ways to save lives. There are, however, exceptions. Take a wellness visit to the pediatrician. Many parents are afraid they or their child will pick up the coronavirus from a sick kid at the pediatrician’s office and are therefore skipping wellness visits — and necessary vaccinations. If this continues, the trend could plant the seeds for the next health crisis.
President Trump declared a national emergency in response to COVID-19 on March 13 and one week later, vaccinations faced their first major drop, according to the CDC. Compared to February 16, vaccinations during the week ending April 5 dropped 42 percent for diphtheria and whooping cough, 50 percent for measles, mumps, and rubella, and 73 percent for HPV, the New York Times reported using data from PCC, a pediatrics software company.
There’s another good reason the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend that children continue to get routine vaccinations during the pandemic — preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough are a bigger threat to kids than COVID-19. For children born between 1994 and 2018, immunizations will prevent about 419 million illnesses, 8 million hospitalizations, and 936,000 early deaths, according to the CDC.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that delaying vaccinations could result in outbreaks of these vaccine-preventable diseases. While these outbreaks may not have been likely while children were kept at home social distancing, according to WBEZ, the likelihood could increase as the U.S. begins to open up. Outbreaks become a possibility when the number of people vaccinated in a community dips below a certain threshold, usually below about 90 to 95 percent, according to the Times.
In other words, parents should schedule a well-visit as soon as their child reaches the recommended age for a particular shot. Period. Even if you’re trying to protect your kid from COVID-19, keeping them from immunizations puts them and your community at risk.
