Anti-Vaxxers Caused The Disneyland Measles Outbreak, New Study Confirms

[jeff47]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/03/18/3635358/disneyland-vaccine-study/

At the beginning of year, as measles rapidly spread among people who had recently visited Disneyland, health officials suspected the outbreak may have been linked to pockets of people who refuse vaccinations. Now, a new study provides some evidence to back up that theory.

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But, according to the new research published in JAMA Pediatrics, the people who were infected in the recent measles outbreak have vaccination rates that fall well below that recommended threshold. The researchers estimated that the rate could not have been higher than about 86 percent, and may have been as low as 50 percent.

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The “patient zero” in the Disneyland measles outbreak, which led to nearly 200 infections over the past three months, has not yet been confirmed. Federal officials suspect that a foreign visitor to the theme park brought the disease from overseas. Then, measles was able to spread quickly among clusters of families who have rejected the government’s immunization schedule for their children.

Get your shots.

If you're an adult, you need DTaP or TDaP boosters every 5 or 10 years. The last "childhood" dose was when you were 15, so if you're over 25 and haven't gotten one, you're due.

If you're GenX, you may need an MMR (it takes two, schedule at the time only had one. You may have been old enough to receive the older, separate shots). If you're older, you may or may not need them depending on which diseases you caught.

You can get them for free. Everywhere in the country. With or without insurance.