Vaccination immunity doubted by Kennedy amid escalating measles outbreak
Revised Article:
Measles cases have surged to 258 in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, prompting state health departments to urge more individuals to get the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. In a recent interview with Fox News, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocated for vaccination choices and claimed that the vaccine is effective in slowing the spread of the disease. However, he also cast doubt on the vaccine's safety and incorrectly suggested that measles outbreaks are partly caused by waning immunity from the vaccine.
"People should have the freedom to decide for themselves," said Kennedy in a conversation with Fox News' Sean Hannity. He further explained, "While the vaccine can protect some people for life, it wanes for many, and there are years when we see numerous outbreaks, not just because of unvaccinated individuals but also due to the vaccine's own waning effectiveness."
Such claims, however, have been refuted by experts, including Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Offit argues that if vaccine-induced immunity truly waned as Kennedy claims, measles would not have been declared eliminated in the US in 2000. There is some disagreement among experts regarding the extent to which immunity may wane, but all agree that the vaccine confers lifelong immunity for most people.
Dr. Michael Mina, the chief scientific officer of eMed and an expert in infectious diseases, stated that the current outbreak is primarily driven by the unvaccinated, with those experiencing waning immunity contributing little to the virus's spread. When measles was eliminated in the US, an average of about 179 cases were reported each year, often connected to international travel. Typical outbreaks numbered around eight per year, between 1 and 25 cases, and at least 60% of cases were linked to these outbreaks. Even the most severe outbreaks are typically limited to fewer than 50 cases.
This marks the fifth year since 2000 that an outbreak has surpassed 100 cases, and only the third year with over 200 cases. Earlier outbreaks include one tied to Disneyland in 2014 and another nearly year-long outbreak in New York in 2019, which came within weeks of potentially ending the nation's elimination status.
Natural immunity, promoted by Kennedy, offers no advantage over vaccine-induced immunity. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles, and those who have been naturally infected with measles also gain immunity – but at a high cost. One in five unvaccinated individuals with measles may be hospitalized, and 1 in 20 children with measles will develop pneumonia. One in 1,000 children with measles will develop encephalitis or brain swelling, and up to three in 1,000 children who contract measles will die from complications.
Another potential drawback of natural infection is "immune amnesia," a condition in which the measles virus destroys the body's immune memory, leaving the individual vulnerable to other infections. Kennedy also misrepresented the transfer of vaccine-induced immunity to nursing infants through breast milk, stating that it is not passed on as effectively as natural immunity. However, maternal antibody transfer is crucial to protecting infants in their first six months of life, when they cannot be vaccinated.
Despite Kennedy's claims that the MMR vaccine causes illnesses similar to those associated with measles, including encephalitis and blindness,adverse effects from the vaccine are extremely rare. The measles vaccine is incredibly safe, and anti-vaccine activists often exaggerate its minor side effects while neglecting to discuss the devastating effects of the illness itself. A majority of the reported side effects from the MMR vaccine are low-grade fevers, temporary rashes, and mild symptoms that indicate an active immune response. Serious side effects from vaccination are extremely infrequent.
- Dr. Michael Mina, an expert in infectious diseases, asserts that current measles outbreaks are primarily due to the unvaccinated, not individuals experiencing waning immunity after vaccination.
- Contrary to claims made by Kennedy, the measles vaccine offers lifelong immunity for most people and is incredibly safe, with the vast majority of reported side effects being mild and temporary.
- Kennedy incorrectly suggests that waning immunity from the MMR vaccine contributes to measles outbreaks, but experts argue that this is not the case, and if the vaccine's immunity truly waned as Kennedy claims, measles would not have been declared eliminated in the US in 2000.
