JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There’s a new Center for Disease Control warning about the spread of measles. There are currently 60 cases across the US and that includes Florida. We are only three months into the new year, and this exceeds the total number of cases in all of last year.
The virus was once eradicated in the US because of the measles vaccination. Parents we spoke with on Tuesday at the South Beach Park and Sunshine Playground in Jacksonville Beach had mixed feelings about vaccinating their children, despite the rise in new measles cases in the US.
“A lot more parents are staying informed. They want to do their research and they want to give it time to make sure it’s safe for their child,” Lynsee Dicks said.
“I think it should be up to the parent. I don’t think it should be mandatory for anyone, certainly not the government’s position to say you have to do it to do certain things,” Nate Pitts said.
“Now that there’s a breakout, I think I prefer parents to vaccinate their kids,” Ashley Stewart said.
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Another parent we spoke with who didn’t want to share her name said she brought her three children to play at the park with other kids, she’s from a different country and says none of her children are vaccinated. She said she’s against vaccinations.
Dr. Michael Koren is the Director of the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research. “Some people are just anti-vaccine,” he said.
Dr. Koren works at a medical facility where human trials are safely conducted on the latest vaccines and medications for specific illnesses and medical conditions. Dr. Koren says there’s a reason why measles has resurfaced.
“Since 2016, we’re starting to see more and more cases in the US. Most of them are either coming from exposure overseas for US citizens who are not vaccinated, or people coming from overseas who are not vaccinated,” Dr. Koren said.
Medical researchers say the drop in measles immunizations hit around the same time the COVID-19 vaccination became a political hot topic that led to controversy.
“Some of them are legitimate controversies. For example, does a healthy 20-year-old need to get a COVID vaccine versus someone who is 80-years-old? Well, for an 80-year-old, it’s a no brainer. Get the COVID vaccine. For a 20-year-old, there’s a debate. That debate has unfortunately become political and now it’s extended to vaccines in general where it shouldn’t.”
The symptoms mimic a bad cold along with inflamed eyes, a blotchy skin rash. Some people may also experience light sensitivity. There’s no treatment for the virus, so it has to run its course. Medical experts say on rare occasions, an infection can turn fatal.
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