Measles Spreading in European Children as Parents Shun Vaccine
source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aa6EwXxFn0Do&refer=science
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- tbowman131
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"Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- More than 12,000 Europeans, mostly children, contracted measles in the past two years as parents shunned vaccinations, casting doubt on public health efforts to eradicate the infectious disease by 2010, researchers said.
While vaccines against measles have been standard across Europe for two decades, fluctuations in coverage between countries and ethnic groups lead to sporadic outbreaks. Some parents refuse immunizations for their children, fearing a tie between the shot and autism, though a link hasn’t been proven.
Tracking in 32 countries found 12,132 measles cases in 2006 and 2007, including seven deaths, with another 6,000 infections reported in the first three quarters of 2008, said Mark Muscat, lead researcher at the vaccine preventable disease surveillance network. Romania, Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Italy have vaccination rates below 90 percent, compared with the World Health Organization’s 95 percent recommendation, the study in the journal Lancet found.
“If we don’t achieve 95 percent coverage, it seems like we will never achieve the goal” of eradicating measles in Europe, said Muscat, an epidemiologist at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, in a telephone interview. “It has not only to be reached, but be maintained. The minute it slips away, we are at risk of having susceptible pools of people for the disease.”
In the U.S., measles cases also are rising, fueled by an increasing number of parents who chose to avoid having their children vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
(Click link to read the complete article)
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- groups:
- News and Politics, WTF, Health
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- tags:
- News and Politics, WTF, Health, Vaccination, 1 more
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shadyk
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this is why media hype about autism pisses me off - because it turns into a "scare" that makes everyone avoid vaccines that are designed to PREVENT disease. Of all the research I've read on autism (and as a behavior terapist for kids with autism, thats a lot) I have yet to read anything suggesting that its preventable. It is what it is. Until more conclusive research can be done, these kids (and their families!) need education and support to give their kids the best opportunity to thrive as they are!
- 3 years ago
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shadyk
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NoGodsNoMasters
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There has yet to be a single shred of scientific proof that vaccines cause autism. It's all hear say.
- 3 years ago
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NoGodsNoMasters
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needu
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But does anyone know if the rate of autism has dropped at the same time? Has anyone followed up with these kids to see if any of them came down with autism?
- 3 years ago
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needu
