In Our View: Ban personal exemptions for MMR vaccine

As an outbreak of measles in Clark County demonstrates, it is too easy for parents in Washington to eschew recommended vaccinations for their children. An entirely preventable — and potentially deadly — disease has been confirmed in about three dozen local cases, and the number is expected to grow.

Washington is one of 18 states that allows parents to opt out of having their children vaccinated because of personal or moral beliefs. That is a loophole that should be closed, and a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, would do just that. Harris’ proposal, co-sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, and 13 others, would eliminate the personal exemption for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Many people are unable to receive the vaccine because of existing medical conditions or because they are too young, while others eschew immunizations because of religious beliefs. Even for those who are immunized, the vaccine is not 100 percent effective.

That means all of us are imperiled by those who avoid immunization solely out of a misguided belief that vaccines are dangerous or ineffective.

In 2000, measles were considered eliminated in the United States. Since then, an ill-begotten anti-vaccine movement has led to a revival of the disease. That movement can be traced to a fraudulent report by a British doctor that has since been discredited. But thanks to a web of misinformation, there remains a sizable population that ignores science in exchange for conspiracy theories. Numerous studies in recent years, vetted and reviewed by scientific peers, have confirmed that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before widespread vaccinations began in the United States in 1963, 3 million to 4 million Americans would contract measles each year. These would typically result in 400 to 500 deaths and about 1,000 cases of encephalitis (swelling of the brain). Measles are not to be trifled with, yet too many people cling to a trope that the MMR vaccine can cause autism — an assertion that has no scientific foundation.

Measles is highly contagious. If an infected person sneezes or coughs, the disease can linger in the air for hours. The ongoing outbreak has infected mostly children between the ages of 1 and 10 who have not been vaccinated, and known exposure sites include schools, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and even a Portland Trail Blazers game at the Moda Center.

“As we get into generations of the outbreak, this can persist for weeks, if not months,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County Public Health director. “Each generation, you have more people exposed, more people get sick, then they have multiple contacts in multiple places they’ve been.” Gov. Jay Inslee has declared a public health emergency.

The fact that measles can be easily prevented calls for action from the Legislature. Harris’ bill would preserve the medical and religious exemptions for the MMR vaccine and would preserve philosophical exemptions for other vaccines. While medical exemptions are necessary and while religious exemptions are understandable, eventually the Legislature should remove philosophical exemptions for all childhood vaccinations.

But for now, Harris’ bill is a good start. The current outbreak is an unnecessary public health risk born out of misguided beliefs and fraudulent science. The Legislature should close an ill-founded loophole that endangers our community.