06/09/2025
Our next door neighbors in Lee County, AL are currently investigating a case of measles virus. The state of Alabama has not seen a measles outbreak in 23 years. Multiple states are in the midst of outbreaks & measles cases nationally are projected to reach their highest totals since 1992. We’ve had multiple pediatric deaths from measles this year, something that just a decade or two ago, would have seemed unfathomable. What does this mean for us?
First and foremost, it means reminding people that the measles vaccine is incredibly safe & effective. Side effects are extremely rare, and just one dose provides around 93% protection. Two doses provide 97-98% protection. And when an entire community is vaccinated, widespread outbreaks will not occur- period.
Pediatricians go into medicine to help kids stay healthy, not to make a pile of money. If there is a financial conspiracy at place, then we’re doing a really bad job of capitalizing on it. Pediatrics is the lowest paid specialty in medicine, because preventing disease isn’t lucrative- *treating disease* is. As it pertains to vaccine safety: the data is overwhelmingly clear that the routine vaccines we’ve given for decades are safe, and they work. Additionally, there is zero safety risk in giving multiple vaccines at one visit.
Despite these facts, we turn on our TV’s or log on to facebook, and things seem far more murky. Parents are confused, and understandably so. The messaging coming from government officials who should be loudly advocating for kids to be vaccinated amidst these outbreaks are, at best....mixed. That is why as doctors, and especially as pediatricians, we have to speak up. The amount of vaccine hesitancy I’ve personally seen in the past 12 months is alarming. Pediatricians allowing vaccine exemptions or alternate schedules, while perhaps well intentioned, will directly put lives at risk. Parents need clarity from us now, more than ever. The stakes are simply too high for ambiguity.