What Do MDs Say About the Measles Outbreak of 2019?

As the measles outbreak is becoming more unpredictable during 2019, patients, providers and the international community all want to hear physicians’ point of view.  

SERMO, a leading social network for physicians, surveyed their community of fully verified and licensed physicians, to learn about current opinions and potential action plans. 

Among other findings by SERMO, this new survey of 194 physicians revealed: 

• Should parents/guardians be required to vaccinate their healthy children against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, and polio?
  • 94%: Yes
  • 6%: No
• Should children be barred from public school, private school and daycare activities if they are not vaccinated?
  • 90%: Yes
  • 10%: No
• What’s the best strategy for increasing vaccination rates?
  • 48%: Enforcing stricter requirements for children and adults
  • 31%: Education about vaccine safety and efficacy
  • 15%: Instituting an immunization registry to hold people accountable
  • 6%: Providing free vaccinations for school-aged children

As of February 24th, 2019, there were 3 leading measles hot-spots in the USA:

• Clark County, Washington: As of February 23, 2019, Clark County Public Health has identified 65 measles cases.
• New York City, NY: As of February 19, 2019, there have been 90 measles cases.
• Rockland County, NY: As of February 20, 2019, there are 138 measles cases.

These state-based totals (293) exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from February 21, 2019, which confirmed just 159 measles cases in 10 states.

This data disparity is generally related to reporting timing.

Measles was declared eliminated by the CDC (absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months) from the United States in 2000. 

Measles is a very contagious disease caused by a virus and can be serious for young children. It can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people around the person will also become infected if they are not protected. 

Measles vaccinations are available in most pharmacies in the USA.