Jessica Fichtel grapples with the perplexing decision made by her neighbors who opted not to vaccinate their children, thereby heightening the likelihood of her son contracting measles.
In Vancouver, Washington, she faced the arduous task of safeguarding her then-6-year-old son, Kai, as he battled childhood leukemia and underwent chemotherapy during the 2019 measles outbreak.
The stakes were dire for Kai, given the rapid spread of measles, with 71 reported cases in just four months. Health officials revealed that a concerning 78% of children in Clark County, the location of Vancouver, had received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—falling significantly below the CDC’s recommended 95% threshold crucial for community measles protection.
Measles outbreaks (Credits: CBS NEWS/CDC)
Fichtel knew families in her neighborhood who chose to forgo MMR vaccinations for their children, some of whom interacted with Kai. This was particularly distressing as Kai, with his compromised immune system, couldn’t receive the vaccine himself, rendering him highly vulnerable to measles exposure.
The nationwide scenario is disconcerting, as a CBS News investigation unveiled alarming data from tens of thousands of schools across 19 states, indicating that at least 8,500 schools have measles vaccination rates below the CDC’s recommended threshold.
The decline in vaccination rates among school-age children nationwide has raised concerns among scientists and doctors. A Penn State University biologist, Matt Ferrari, emphasized the population-level consequences, highlighting the increased risk of disease transmission and prolonged outbreaks in communities with a higher proportion of unvaccinated individuals.
Maintaining herd immunity is crucial to prevent outbreaks, protecting not only those vaccinated but also individuals like Kai who cannot receive vaccinations. Ferrari explained that vaccinated individuals act as a shield, reducing the overall risk within a community.
The CBS News investigation revealed that about 93% of kindergarteners in the U.S. were vaccinated against measles in the 2021-2022 school year, down from the previous years.
Clark County’s outbreak reflected even lower vaccination rates in some schools, with nine out of sixteen institutions having rates below 90% and some as low as 50%.
In 2019, New York City experienced its measles outbreak, with 649 cases and dozens hospitalized. Concerned officials implemented vaccination requirements and public education campaigns, ending the outbreak after 11 months.
However, despite an initial increase in childhood vaccination rates, recent CDC data indicates a decline to about 96.6%, compared to 98.8% in 2018.
The reasons behind declining vaccination rates are multifaceted, including political influences, misinformation, mistrust in government, and vaccine fears. Social media, described as a “misinformation superhighway,” is significant in disseminating vaccine-related misinformation, often targeting susceptible communities.
While some unvaccinated children have legitimate medical or religious exemptions, a CBS News analysis found that 7% of kindergarteners were unvaccinated during the 2021-2022 school year, with only 2.6% having exemptions. The remaining 4% were non-compliant or completed their required vaccines later in the school year.
Maine faced a similar challenge five years ago, with rising religious exemptions leading to half of the schools falling below the 95% herd immunity threshold.
A concerted effort by religious and medical organizations removed the religious exemption, reducing schools below the threshold to 20%, with exemptions dropping to less than 2%.
Despite increased vaccinations during the 2019 Clark County outbreak, the subsequent years witnessed a return to pre-outbreak vaccination rates, leaving nearly two-thirds of schools in the state with rates below 95%. This unsettling reality puts thousands of students like Kai at risk.
Jessica Fichtel, echoing her initial frustration, questions why some parents choose not to vaccinate, especially when the potential consequences could be fatal for vulnerable children like Kai.
