ASSESSMENTS

The 'Anti-Vaxxer' Movement and Disinformation Are Fueling the Spread of Preventable Diseases

May 28, 2019 | 05:45 GMT

An anti-vaccination parent holds up a prescription document as she waits for a hearing in March 2019 in Washington.

(JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Simply put, the more unvaccinated people there are, the more likely disease outbreaks are to occur.
  • Despite a lack of scientific evidence, some communities believe vaccines cause autism or other severe health problems.
  • Outbreaks can hinder business by sickening workers or their children and by limiting travel to or from infected areas.

Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, mumps and whooping cough, have again become an issue in Western and developed countries. Developing or conflict-ridden countries have far more cases of malaria and other diseases, but infection rates in the United States and Europe are on the rise. The number of cases is lower than in developing countries, but outbreaks in economically advanced countries can create sudden and sharp disruptions....

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