A sign at the specialty clinic at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis alerts patients to a measles outbreak in the area. While parts of the world have all but banished measles, Europe is still getting hit with large outbreaks where some people don’t get vaccinated.
A sign at the specialty clinic at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis alerts patients to a measles outbreak in the area. While parts of the world have all but banished measles, Europe is still getting hit with large outbreaks where some people don’t get vaccinated. Credit: AP FILE PHOTO

Why is the vaccine controversial?

In 1998, British researcher Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper in the medical journal Lancet suggesting a link between the combo measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine and autism.

No other studies have found any connection. The paper was later retracted, 10 of its co-authors renounced its conclusions and Wakefield was stripped of his license to practice medicine in the U.K. after officials found him guilty of “serious professional misconduct.”

After the paper was published, however, vaccination rates dropped in Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere, leading to years of measles epidemics across Europe. In the U.K., at least a dozen medical associations including the Royal College of Physicians have issued statements verifying the safety of the MMR vaccine.

How effective is the vaccine?

A full dose of the MMR vaccine, a standard component of routine childhood immunization in many countries, is believed to be about 97 percent effective at preventing measles.

Measles typically begins with a high fever and also causes a rash on the face and neck. While most people who get measles recover, it’s one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the WHO.

Serious complications, including blindness and a swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over age 30. Through vaccination programs, measles has been eliminated in the Americas and many other countries have pledged to stop the disease’s spread by 2020.

How can vaccination rates be increased?

One strategy is to make immunization against certain diseases legally mandatory and not allow children to attend school unless they can show proof of vaccination.

Italy recently introduced a new law requiring parents to vaccinate their children against measles and nine other childhood diseases. Romania also passed a similar bill, including hefty fines for parents who didn’t vaccinate their children.

Similar laws exist elsewhere: after an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in California, the U.S. state changed its laws to make it more difficult for parents to have their children opt out of being vaccinated. That ultimately led to higher rates of vaccination.

High rates are needed to induce “herd immunity,” to help protect vulnerable people like infants too young to be vaccinated and people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, like those with weak immune systems.