The facts about measles in a one minute read, written by me and published in the BMJ

https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l312/rr-0

Even when all eligible children are vaccinated, there will remain those who cannot be vaccinated with live vaccines, and those who fail to achieve immunity from their immunizations. Even after 2 doses, the mumps vaccine is only 86% efficacious. (6) Measles vaccine is 85-95% efficacious after one dose, (7) and 90-98% after two.(8) In US and Canadian measles outbreaks, up to 50% of those developing measles have received two doses of MMR. (8) Thus, there will continue to be disease outbreaks, with or without ending the practice of vaccine exemptions.

During the past 30 years, approximately 89,000 adverse reactions, including about 450 deaths, have been reported to the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System for measles vaccines.

Ms Tanne seems to be singing with a Pharma-led chorus this week, orchestrated with the WHO, BMJ, NY Times and other media outlets. Simultaneously, similar bills have been introduced this month in US state legislatures to end all vaccine exemptions.

But consider: if vaccine exemptions are withheld from children whose families perceive them to be at high risk of an adverse reaction from the MMR, we are likely to experience an inversion in public health: fewer overall viral infections, but more vaccine reactions (and child deaths) then we have now. Public health won't prevail, but Pharma profits will.

1. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-has-been-eliminated-a…

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3381670/

3. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html

4. https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp.html

5. https://www.cdc.gov/rubella/about/in-the-us.html

6. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/imm/mumps-vaccine-effectiv…

7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2845860/

8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570049/

Competing interests: No competing interests

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The death of a child from measles (or with measles) in Texas this past week is the first death associated with measles since the 3 deaths I described above, and the first in an apparently healthy child. 4 deaths have been ascribed to measles in the US in 25 years. The media makes it sound like we are dealing with the Black Death! Don’t be fooled.

If you choose to vaccinate, I recommend you wait until your child is older than the 12-15 months that is currently the age when the MMR is given. Older children may also have side effects (and a study in Canada showed one child in 168 required an ER visit after an MMR shot) but the likelihood of developing encephalitis or autism after the shot drops dramatically after brain development is much more advanced.