{"id":15502,"date":"2019-07-24T13:31:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T13:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=15502"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:56:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:56:59","slug":"measles-immunization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2019\/07\/24\/measles-immunization","title":{"rendered":"Measles: What about your herd immunity?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"measles<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Douglas Esser
\nA vaccination can immunize one person from measles, but a community needs herd immunity to prevent an outbreak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herd immunity is the percentage of a population that must be vaccinated to protect individuals who are not immunized. For measles, that rate needs to be 90-95%, said Dan Bustillos, an assistant professor in the University of Washington Bothell\u2019s School of Nursing & Health Studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn certain parts of Washington, the vaccination level is below what is needed to maintain herd immunity,\u201d Bustillos said. \u201cWe are vulnerable, even though we have taken steps here to maintain a level of safety.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) declared measles eliminated in the United States in 2000. But now, the CDC has already reported more than 1,000 cases in 2019. Nearly 100 of those cases this year have been in Washington, according to the state Department of Health<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The herd modality <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few legitimate exemptions from having a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot Bustillos said. One is an allergy to eggs, which are used to make the vaccine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bigger reason for MMR vaccination rates falling is the debunked, yet persistent, belief that the shot risks autism in children, he said, noting that trust in vaccinations has become a public debate with some on both sides taking inflexible positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bustillos engages in the issue as a health ethics expert who researches moral, legal and philosophical issues surrounding medicine and public health. He has been teaching health policy law and vaccination policy courses at UW Bothell since 2015. He previously had roles in vaccination policymaking in Texas and Missouri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dan<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because it was \u201celiminated\u201d for decades in the United States, measles is now underestimated as a threat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeasles is nothing to laugh at,\u201d Bustillos said. \u201cMeasles is one of the most terrifyingly virulent diseases known. It is among the most infectious and fast-spreading viruses out there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking measles seriously <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For people who haven\u2019t been vaccinated, including infants and people with compromised immune systems as well as people for whom a vaccination wasn\u2019t 100% effective, measles can cause a debilitating illness and even death, Bustillos said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Washington requires first-time students to show proof of immunization. Students also can prevent spreading measles by handwashing and staying home if they have symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bustillos is a proponent of vaccinations such as the MMR. He also recommends that students be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that can lead to genital warts and several types of cancer. It\u2019s another example of a safe vaccination with big benefits, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risks versus benefits <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With his experience, Bustillos is wary of being drawn into the debate between advocates and the anti-vaccine side, especially on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust is low, and skepticism is high with accusations of cover-ups and cherry-picking facts, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a paradox of the debate that better-off, well-educated people \u2014 those who would be expected to follow research-based science \u2014 often cling to the discredited belief that the (MMR) immunization causes autism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocates should concede immunizations\u2019 small risk, and opponents should recognize the larger benefit of preventing diseases, Bustillos advises. Lower the rhetoric and recognize the complexities of vaccinations, he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might be especially timely advice during National Immunization Awareness Month in August<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough they are not an unmitigated good, they are probably one of the most important medical advances in modern history,\u201d Bustillos said. \u201cThe millions that they have saved far outweigh the small number that have been harmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reality in my opinion is that we do a pretty good job of choosing the risk-to-benefit ratio.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A vaccination can immunize one person from measles, but a community needs herd immunity to prevent an outbreak, says Dan Bustillos, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing & Health Studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,229],"tags":[347],"school":[420],"class_list":["post-15502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-faculty","tag-vaccinations","school-school-of-nhs"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nMeasles: What about your herd immunity? 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