Lawmakers met Wednesday to tackle the growing public health concerns as measles cases continue to rise across the U.S.
The hoarse hearing, which was held by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, presented one of the chief challenges faced during this measles outbreak: discontinuing the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which have largely contributed to the anti-vaccine movement in many counties.
Rep. Diana DeGette, District of Colorado, had to stop the hearing at least twice when audience members, who were both for and against vaccination, shouted down speakers over the safety of MMR vaccine.
The director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said, “There hasn’t been effective countering of the anti-vaccine movement. Misinformation is an important problem. The spread of misinformation that leads people to make poor choices, despite their well-meaning, is a major contributor to the problem we’re discussing.”
As the cases of measles are on the rise, teenagers who were unvaccinated are secretly receiving shots.
Since the outbreak, the CDC has confirmed 159 measles cases in 10 states, which include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
One of the most alarming outbreaks has been seen in the Pacific Northwest where 65 measles cases were reported. In January, Clark County health officials declared a public health emergency. Most of them were children who did not receive the MMR vaccine.
In 2000, the United States public health officials declared that measles has been eliminated, one of the major public health victories.
Overall, more than 90 percent of children below 3 years are vaccinated for measles. However, in some communities, the vaccination rate has been declining. For example, in Clark County, where the measles cases went up to 65, nearly 76 percent of kindergartners are not vaccinated.
The director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, confessed that the pro-vaccine movements to tackle misinformation campaigns are not robust enough in spite of the CDC’s efforts to offer the most scientifically accurate and relevant information to healthcare providers.
Messonnier said, “Vaccine hesitancy is the result of misinformation and misunderstanding of the MMR vaccine.”
Dr. Fauci added, “The vaccine is incredibly safe. The only way to protect those who are not old enough to get vaccinated or immune suppressed is to be part of that herd immunity.”
Herd immunity happens when enough people are immunized against a disease to safeguard others in the community who are not immunized.
The hearing comes soon after social media platforms such as YouTube and Pinterest have made efforts to stop the spread of misinformation and controversies related to anti-vaccine.
Amid so much pressure, YouTube said it would stop suggesting anti-vaccine conspiracy videos. Also, it has discontinued anti-vaccine videos and started providing relevant information about the consequences of anti-vaccination. Pinterest stopped all searches related to immunizations to stop the spreading of misinformation.
However, experts explained that misinformation is not the only factor responsible for the growing number of vaccination hot spots in the states. Lack of access to vaccines in lower- and middle-income communities is also a problem.
Messonnier said, “We know that anti-vaccination hot spots tend to be in more rural areas. Vaccination hot spots are also clustered in areas where people hold similar beliefs.”
She added, “The vaccine has been so effective that parents wonder if the vaccines are even necessary and because of our public health success, fewer and fewer doctors see the serious consequences of measles.” Dr. Fauci said, “There is no cure for measles but it is completely vaccine-preventable. The most important piece of advice we can give to parents to protect their kids is to vaccinate your children. It’s for the safety of your own child and a responsibility to your community. We all have a responsibility to be part of that umbrella of herd immunity.”
