INDIANAPOLIS—As measles cases rise across the United States, many parents are growing increasingly anxious.
In 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S., meaning there was no continuous transmission of the disease within the country.
Experts in Indiana say that progress is slipping away as cases are popping back up.
Dr. John Christenson, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Riley Hospital for Children, has been on the front lines of disease prevention.
He says the recent uptick in measles cases is no coincidence and it’s cause for concern.
“People need to be worried,” Dr. Christenson said. “Measles is a highly contagious infection."
Compare that to the flu, which typically spreads from one person to maybe one or two others. Measles, on the other hand, is so transmissible that even a single case can quickly escalate into an outbreak.
“When you have one case of measles, you already have an outbreak,” he said. “We’re seeing that in places like Allen County, Indiana and across Texas."
As of now, the U.S. has already surpassed the number of measles cases reported in all of last year, with over 600 confirmed—and many more likely going unreported because some infected individuals never seek medical care.
So what changed since 2000?
According to Dr. Christenson, it comes down to vaccination rates.
“What’s happening in the United States is fewer people are getting their children vaccinated,” he said. “That’s especially true in some areas where there are communities of people who are unvaccinated due to personal choices.”
These decisions are often fueled by misinformation, particularly around vaccine safety. One of the most harmful myths, Christenson said, is the long-debunked claim that the measles vaccine causes autism.
“That question has been addressed in many studies, and it’s been proven over and over again: there is no connection,” he said.
“Some parents are just trying to do what they think is best for their kids,” said Dr. Christenson. “When you have others promoting alternative treatments or spreading misinformation it’s hard for families to know what to believe.”
Among the misinformation circulating are suggestions that cod liver oil, vitamin A, antibiotics or even steroids can prevent or treat measles. Christenson was firm in debunking these claims.
“None of those work,” he said. “They are ineffective, and in the case of high-dose vitamin A, even dangerous."
So what can parents do right now?
“The best thing is to get vaccinated,” he said. “If your child is fully vaccinated, you can travel across the country, around the world, and not have to worry.”
As measles continues to resurface in unvaccinated communities across the U.S., Christenson hopes families will choose science over fear and facts over fiction.
“This is a vaccine-preventable disease,” he said. “We would rather not see anybody die of measles—especially from something we already know how to stop.”
