8 of 10 Americans Polled Support Mandatory Measles Vaccines

A new CNN/ORC poll shows nearly 8 of 10 Americans believe parents should be required to vaccinate their healthy children against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and polio. If the children are not vaccinated, most agree the child should not be allowed to attend public school or day care.

These results come as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a total of 154 cases of measles in the country, from January 1, 2015 to February 20, 2015. That’s an additional 13 cases in the last week. (CNN – Continue reading)

Toddler Death in Berlin Germany Prompts Calls for Mandatory Vaccinations

Germany is also experiencing a measles outbreak where an 18-month-old boy died on February 18, the first known fatality among more than 570 recorded measles cases since October in the German capital, a Berlin.

The death has intensified a debate in Germany over whether parents should be forced to have their children immunized.

“This case shows that measles is a very serious disease. I am in favor of mandatory vaccination,”

said Mario Czaja the Berlin health minister.

According to Robert Koch Institute in Berlin Germany, in developed countries one in a 1000 measles patients dies. During recent years in Germany there were several-hundred and up to 1,500 measles infections. Almost all of the infected patients were not vaccinated.

Widespread consequences of measles infections were subsequent infections such as middle ear or lung infections, also there is the danger that children years later fall ill after a subdued measles virus causes deadly brain inflammation, encephalitis.

On the other hand, however, the rumor is that the side effects and possible vaccine damages are greater than the benefits of vaccination. Many parents believe that a “measles party” to intentionally infect a child will create a better and safer immunity against the measles virus.

But the fact is that the number of serious vaccine damage is minimal and is in the range of seven complications in 16 million vaccinations compared with 1 death out of 1000 measles infections of unvaccinated children.