MEASLES CASES LINKED TO DISNEYLAND RISE, AND DEBATE OVER VACCINATIONS INTENSIFIES

Thursday, 22nd of January 2015

MEASLES CASES LINKED TO DISNEYLAND RISE, AND DEBATE OVER VACCINATIONS INTENSIFIES

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ABBY GOODNOUGHJAN. 21, 2015

 

LOS ANGELES — A measles outbreak that began at Disneyland is spreading across California and beyond, prompting health officials to move aggressively to contain it — including by barring unvaccinated students from going to school in Orange County. The outbreak has increased concerns that a longstanding movement against childhood vaccinations has created a surge in a disease that was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.

Health officials said 59 cases of measles had been diagnosed in California as of Wednesday, with an additional eight related cases spread through Utah, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Mexico. Among those infected are five workers at Disneyland, where the outbreak was spotted in mid-December; 42 of the 59 California cases have been linked to the Disneyland outbreak.

 

Organizations that have led the campaign of doubts about vaccinations suggested that it was too soon to draw such a conclusion. The groups cautioned parents not to be pressured into having their children receive vaccinations, which the organizations say have been linked to other diseases. Health professionals say those claims are unfounded or vastly overstated.

“It is premature to blame the increase in reports of measles on the unvaccinated when we do not have all the facts yet,” said Barbara Loe Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a group raising concerns about inoculations. “I do know this: Fifty-seven cases of measles coming out of Disneyland in a country with a population of 317 million people is not a lot of cases. We should all take a deep breath and wait to see and get more information.”

A handful of doctors seem sympathetic to these views. Dr. Jay Gordon, a Santa Monica pediatrician who has cautioned against the way vaccines are used, said he had “given more measles vaccines” than ever before but did not like giving the shot to younger children.

 

“I think whatever risk there is — and I cannot prove a risk — is, I think, caused by the timing,” he said, referring to when the shot is administered. “It is given at a time when kids are more susceptible to environmental impact. Do not get me wrong; I have no proof that this vaccine causes harm. I just have anecdotal reports from parents who are convinced that their children were harmed by the vaccine.”

The battle has moved to state legislatures, where lawmakers have sought to make it easier for parents to obtain exemptions from vaccination requirements. However, all 31 bills introduced from 2009 to 2012 that would have loosened the exemption process were defeated, said Saad B. Omer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Emory University who studies vaccine refusal. Three out of five bills that sought to tighten the requirement passed, he said.

California tightened its “personal belief” exemption law last year, requiring parents to submit a form signed by a health care provider. But Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, added a religious exemption at the last minute; parents who choose that option do not need a doctor»s signature.

 

Adam Nagourney reported from Los Angeles, and Abby Goodnough from Washington.

A version of this article appears in print on January 22, 2015, on page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Measles Cases Linked to Disneyland Rise, and Debate Over Vaccinations Intensifies. Order Reprints| Today»s Paper|Subscribe