Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Recent Measles, Whooping Cough Outbreaks Linked To Vaccine Refusers
Measles and whooping cough, two infectious diseases US public health officials had gotten pretty good at preventing, have made a disturbing comeback in recent years. Why? Many believe the recent outbreaks were closely tied to people who refuse vaccinations for all kinds of reasons. And a new paper in JAMA confirms they're right. (Belluz, 3/15)
Parents who delay or skip childhood vaccinations even when kids have no medical reason to avoid their shots are contributing to U.S. outbreaks of measles and pertussis, a research review suggests. More than half of 1,416 measles cases reported in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000 were for people with no history of measles vaccination, the analysis found. (Rapaport, 3/15)
