Outbreaks Among the Unvaccinated

Posted by Anthony Lee May 30, 2009

In one of my previous blogs, I summarized the controversy that vaccines cause autism. This is something that has many parents fired up about enough to refuse vaccinations for their children. Parents may also cite other reasons for vaccine refusal, such as the fear of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Whatever the rationale for their decisions may be, such actions do present with an unfortunate consequence.

Recently, a study by Kaiser Permanente Colorado found that children who were not vaccinated for pertussis were 23 times more likely to contract the disease than those who received the vaccine. Also known as whooping cough, pertussis is an infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis and characterized by uncontrollable, repetitive, and severe coughing.

The medical community stands behind evidence that vaccines can prevent several diseases, so much that their incidence is dramatically cut short. Given this achievement, vaccines are often considered a milestone development in medicine. Sadly, with fears of vaccine safety among parents, there is the risk of the clocking being turned back. As an example, an outbreak of measles was reported in San Diego, CA, among children who were mostly not given vaccinations.

As with my other blog post about vaccines, this one will surely have some of you passionate about the issue. I continue to stand by what medical evidence says but will still examine the issue from both sides.