Maureen McCormick is unhappy with an anti-vaxer group that is using her ‘The Brady Brunch’ clip to downplay the seriousness of measles.
The group has referred to an episode of ‘The Brady Bunch’ from 1969 in which Maureen, who played Marcia Brady, catches measles along with her siblings.
In the family sitcom, Marcia says, “If you have to get sick, you sure can’t beat the measles.”
The American actress told NPR, “I think it’s really wrong when people use people’s images today to promote whatever they want to promote and the person’s image they’re using, they haven’t asked or they have no idea where they stand on the issue.”
She added that her own daughter was vaccinated.
Maureen recalled when she actually caught measles in her childhood, “Having the measles was not a fun thing. I remember it spread through my family.”
Her concern over anti-vaxers using her clip to support their agenda of anti-vaccine movement comes as the United States surpassed the highest number on record since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.
Public health officials have blamed the anti-vaccine movement for the ongoing measles outbreak in the United States. Measles is an extremely contagious disease caused by a virus that can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or if somebody comes in close contact with the virus. The signs and symptoms of measles include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes, and a skin rash.
