Opinion: The ongoing measles outbreak was 'avoidable.' Now what? - Entrepreneur Generations

Measles vector illustration with disease medical scheme. (Adobe Stock photo)

As measles cases in the U.S. top more than 1,000 diagnosed infections, medical experts Richard Hughes and Anna Larson call the ongoing outbreak "an avoidable public health failure," in their opinion for MedPage Today.

Measles was declared "eliminated" in the United States in 2000, but its status is evolving. The most recent eruption of the highly contagious disease began in rural Texas and "continues to unfold with additional deaths in Texas and New Mexico, an exposure at a major U.S. airport following an identified case in Maryland, and expanding to over half of U.S. states," Hughes and Larson write.

The newly appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has added to the confusion about the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine by endorsing "unproven treatments for measles and emphasizing vaccination as a personal choice rather than a public good," they write. When "he finally recommended measles vaccination to address the snowballing case count, he then ordered the search for new measles treatments instead of promoting vaccination."

Searching for a new measles "cure" won't stop the continuing spread of the disease, but beefing up MMR vaccine rates could. Instead, the administration "has canceled research related to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation," Hughes and Larson add, "and announced a requirement that all new vaccine products undergo placebo-controlled clinical trials prior to licensure."

What is likely to happen? "We can expect vaccination challenges to compound, immunization rates to decline, and vaccine-preventable diseases to rise," Hughes and Larson write. "A comprehensive U.S. approach to shore up our measles defenses and preserve elimination status is imperative, but unlikely."

What can be done to slow the current measles outbreak down? "Consistent application of proven public health measures -- expanded vaccine access, particularly in underserved populations, and improved disease and vaccine surveillance systems," according to Hughes and Larson. "The need to combat misinformation and instill public trust in vaccines is obvious, but bears repeating. . . . Now is not the time for complacency; it's time for action."

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/Qhtv3I1 Opinion: The ongoing measles outbreak was 'avoidable.' Now what? - Entrepreneur Generations

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