In 2019, it’s hard to believe that we are still dealing with measles outbreaks in the United States. After all, the disease was officially declared eliminated almost 20 years ago. Since that time, cases have been relatively few in number and contained, and we haven’t seen a national-level measles epidemic in decades. But a recent occurrence of the disease in Washington state has caused much concern—and for good reason. Not only has this outbreak been the worst since measles was declared eliminated, but it has also sickened 70 people and cost more than $1 million.
According to the Washington Post, the recent outbreaks have resulted in a backlash against those who refuse vaccination and opt out of immunizing their kids. Several states, Washington included, are trying to move forward legislation that would prevent parents from using philosophical or personal exemptions as a reason not to immunize their children. But these are not measures that will pass through easily and without objection. There are many hardcore anti-vaxxers around the country who feel that these bills are a direct threat to their rights. Some have even labeled stricter vaccine requirements a “Holocaust” and have called those who sponsor such bills Nazis.
Vermont and New Jersey are two states that are actually trying to tighten or completely do away with religious exemptions to vaccine requirements. And given that measles is a disease that is preventable through the use of vaccines, it is possible that other states will follow suit. Currently, there are 17 states where parents can opt out of vaccinations based on personal or philosophical/religious reasons. And in eight of those states, there have been major measles outbreaks since 2013.
Diane Peterson of the Immunization Action Coalition, a Minnesota nonprofit group, said that “there is a growing consensus for state authorities to make the bold move to require all children to be vaccinated, with the only exception being those who cannot be given the vaccine for medical reasons.”
The backlash against the anti-vaccine movement isn’t just happening at the state level. It’s also happening on social media, as platforms are making changes to stop the spread of misinformation related to vaccination. YouTube has said that anti-vaccine videos violate its policies against harmful acts and is now pulling anti-vaccination material, while Pinterest has blocked searches on the topic of vaccination so as to prevent the spread of misleading information. Meanwhile, Facebook is weighing whether or not to pull anti-vaccination content from its recommendations.
Members of anti-vaccine groups say that parents should have the right to make their own decisions without being denied a school education for their children. Barbara Loe Fisher, head of the National Vaccine Information Center, says, “You cannot bring down the hammer on people and force them to obey one-size-fits-all when the risk is not being shared equally.” Fisher says her group considers this a “parental rights, a human rights issue”
Fisher is right: This is absolutely both a parental rights and a human rights issue. Parents should have the right to decide whatever they think is best for their children. But that doesn’t mean those decisions are free of consequences—especially when they pose a risk to other children. This is not just about individual choice. Measles outbreaks are a public health issue. And these parents are endangering not only the lives of their children, but also the lives of other children who should have the right not to be forced into contact with people who insist on not preventing a very preventable disease. These outbreaks also impact people with compromised immune systems. And when immunization rates fall below a certain level, it raises cause for concern. This is the very reason that mandatory vaccination programs exist in the first place. It is through the enforcement of mandatory vaccination programs that measles was eliminated back in 2000.
We can’t let anti-vaxxers turn this into an individual rights/Big Brother/too much government interference issue. This is deadly serious. There are reasons that science, technology, and modern medicine exist. And while there is a conversation to be had about an overreliance on those things, facts are facts. It is vaccines that help us contain the spread of infectious diseases like measles. There is almost no reason, short of certain existing medical conditions or risks, not to immunize one’s children. And if a parent chooses not to for their own personal reasons, it is reasonable to say that they should not be allowed to send their potentially sick and contagious kids to school where they can infect others. But in an era in which alternative facts (otherwise known as lies) and willful ignorance reign, it’s not surprising that anti-vaccine advocates are raising their voices louder than ever.