Washington State has had the most well-publicized measles outbreak in over a decade, with dozens of cases reported over the past few months. The highly contagious disease has been able to find fast purchase in patches of America where ignorance of vaccines and their important public health properties has led to lower childhood vaccination rates. The CDC announced that 78 new measles cases brings 2019’s total to 465. This is the second highest number of measles cases since the disease was eliminated in the United States in 2000. The highest number of cases was recorded in 2014, with 667 cases. The Washington Post says that “the rate has increased to 4.84 cases a day. If that pace continues, this year could surpass 2014 by June.”
Some people have been laboring under the delusion that measles is a benign childhood illness like the sniffles or head lice. It is not. Some people do not truly understand how contagious illnesses like chicken pox and measles can be, but as this year has shown—one student in an unvaccinated population can lead to dozens of cases in just a handful of weeks. So far public health officials have been supported by the courts, as anti-vaxxer parents have irresponsibly attempted to sue to get their unvaccinated children re-admittance to the general population at schools.