At least two deaths and over 220 cases of the measles have been recorded in the United States at the moment. The circumstances has spurred fresh discussions about vaccination, particularly in light of remarks made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who proposed that natural immunity might be more successful than protection brought about by vaccines.
Kennedy remembered in a recent interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that during his early years, measles was a prevalent disease and people who got it naturally obtained lifetime immunity. Vaccines can stop disease spread, he said, but their protection might fade with time. Public health professionals, who highlight that measles is a highly contagious and perhaps fatal disease only properly managed by broad vaccination, have sharply objected to his comments.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been aggressively pushing travelers and medical professionals to follow required guidelines. The government claims that whilst two doses boost protection to 97%, a single dosage of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccination offers 93% immunity. Kennedy argued, therefore, that vaccination should be a personal decision and expressed worries about vaccinated mothers imparting lesser immunity to their children than those who had recovered from a natural virus. Medical studies, however, refute this assertion, according to specialists who say mother immunity—from natural infection or vaccination—offers protection to children just for the first six months of life.
The epidemic has especially affected Texas; a notable cluster of cases has surfaced in Gaines County, where the disease has quickly spread among a Mennonite population with poor vaccination rates. With another possible death recorded in nearby New Mexico, the epidemic sadly marks the first measles-related death in the United States in ten years.
Kennedy also advised that inadequate diet and lack of exercise can make one more vulnerable to severe complications from an Ebola. But Gaines County physician Dr. Wendell Parkey refuted this allegation, stressing that the Mennonite community under influence keeps a good lifestyle. Kennedy has also pushed alternative therapies for a measles cure including steroids, antibiotics, and cod liver oil. Medical experts have disagreed with these assertions, saying instead that there is no scientific data proving their efficacy against the infection. The CDC has also issued new warnings regarding the possibility of “immune amnesia,” a disorder whereby an infection with the measles compromises the body’s defenses against other infections.
Health authorities underline the need of vaccination in stopping the spread of the virus and safeguarding susceptible groups even if the number of measles cases is rising.
