DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Health advocates are pushing lawmakers for vaccine legislation amid a measles outbreak in Texas and other states.
The Centers for Disease control reports more than 120 measles cases so far in ten states, including five outbreaks of three or more cases in Washington state, Texas, and New York.
“We are in a vaccine crisis and this should be a wake-up call for Texans to get serious and demand stronger legislation that reduces the number of parents opting out of vaccinating their children for non-medical reasons,” said Allison Winnike, J.D., president and CEO of The Immunization Partnership. “Vaccination rates are steadily decreasing which means we are seeing more cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in areas with clusters of unvaccinated children.”
Research shows that the number of students with non-medical exemptions to school vaccine requirements has risen from just 2,314 in 2004 to 56,738 in 2018, an increase of 2,352%. Studies reveal that unvaccinated individuals tend to cluster in the same communities and schools, resulting in a breakdown of protective herd immunity; and leaving those individuals susceptible to outbreaks of disease.
“This is unacceptable and can’t go on,” said Dr. Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK. “Parents are endangering their children and others by choosing not to vaccinate. It’s time for our legislators to support and pass the right bills that will help ensure our children and communities stay healthy, and avoid unnecessary disease outbreaks.”
Health advocates in North Texas gathered Thursday to push lawmakers to support legislation that would limit parents ability to opt out of vaccinating their children.
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