There are more and more measles outbreaks, and the consequences affect not only anti-vaxxers.

measles outbreaks They never stop blooming all over the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just warned that alarming increase in incidence in Europe, where they increased 45 times. The reasons are clear: the expansion of anti-vaccine groups. Measles is a completely healthy disease. vaccinated, which has persisted in the most developed countries over the past decades. However, the solution anti-vaxxers The lack of immunization of their children led to a new outbreak of the disease.

We might think that this is not a serious problem. There are not many anti-vaxxers either: how can it happen that such large outbreaks of measles occur? And the answer, unfortunately, is that one person’s decision can affect many others.

Vaccines not only protect the person vaccinated, but also protect them. everything around you. This has already been talked about a lot due to the reluctance of the population to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. There are people for whom vaccination is not possible, for example: immunocompromised patients and very young children. Therefore, vaccinating others is firewall This is necessary to prevent pathogens from reaching them. Measles outbreaks occur precisely because of the lack of protective equipment. And the worst thing is that if nothing is done to solve it, the situation will decline. in a crescendo and we’ll go back years to a time when we certainly don’t want to live again.

The story of the vaccine that saved millions of lives

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we met number R0, which means the number of people one infected person can infect. In the case of coronavirus, this figure varied, but on average remained around 1.5. However, for measles this figure ranges from 12 to 18. That is, one patient can infect from 12 to 18 people if they are not isolated. Let us now think about the great pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. This will help us understand measles outbreaks much better.

In fact, in the first half of the 20th century, it is estimated that the disease caused 2.6 million deaths per year. It was clear that it was vital to find a way to stop this, so many scientists got to work. In 1954, doctors John F. Enders and Thomas C. Peebles They were able to isolate a virus, which they began working with in search of a vaccine similar to those already developed for other diseases such as smallpox or rabies. This one has arrived in 1963although two more were launched in 1965 and 1968. In the United States alone, 500,000 cases of measles were diagnosed annually when vaccinations began. By 2020, when it is fully implemented, no more than 13.

The problem is that anti-vaccination movements have gradually begun to emerge. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought back many of these anti-vaxxers. Some only refused vaccination against SARS-CoV 2, but others decided Don’t give your children any vaccinations. Thus, the number of cases in the United States during 2020 is almost equal to 2024. And it may continue to rise, as several measles outbreaks have been identified. The same thing happened in other countries such as the UK, Australia and various parts of the European Union. What’s happening?

Measles outbreaks are everyone’s business

Nowadays, the measles vaccine is usually part of a so-called vaccine. MMRwhich He is also vaccinated against mumps and rubella.

It consists of two doses. The first is recommended to be worn by children from 12 to 15 months, and the second – from 3 to 6 years. The first dose alone already provides protection against measles for 93% of those vaccinated. It is estimated that in the second case 97% of patients. What does all of this mean?

First of all, this means that protection of children under one year old It depends on who around you has been vaccinated. The same thing happens to patients whose immune systems are so weakened that they decide not to get vaccinated.

This also means that there are 3% of people who may not develop sufficient immunity to measles through vaccines. This is not a problem in a society that is fully vaccinated. But in the case where firewalls are removed, this can become problematic.

It is true that it is very rare to become infected by the measles vaccine because it is so effective. But in those extremely rare cases it is better to have a good herd immunity.

Anti-vaccine movements are attacking this flock. And especially babies and very young children will pay for it. We must not forget that while many people survive measles without problems, it is also a disease that has caused many deaths throughout history. And it continues to cause them. Not vaccinating our children may seem like a solution individual freedom, but the truth is that it is not. Those who make such a decision should think about this.