LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A steep decrease in vaccinations has led to outbreaks of otherwise preventable diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 206 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in the first two months of 2019 [1].
“Vaccinations save lives, protect our children and are one of our greatest public health achievements of the 20th century,” AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) President, Michael Weinstein, said Thursday. “As public health leaders, our role at AHF is to advocate and advance the health of people. For us, this must include championing vaccinations.”
AHF has a long history of supporting vaccinations, successfully launching the “AirheadCelebs.com Billboard Campaign to support SB277, which passed in 2015. The bill removed personal belief exemptions to vaccination requirements in California schools.
The World Health Organization now lists vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 global threats [2], stating that the measles vaccination prevented more than 21 million deaths worldwide since 2000. Without prompt public health action and high levels of vaccinations, larger outbreaks are inevitable. People will die simply because of widespread misinformation.
Ensuring herd immunity through mass vaccinations prevents unnecessary disease, burden and death. All political parties must show strong commitment to public health by:
(1) advocating that vaccines are safe, effective, and beneficial;
(2)
educating the public that outbreaks lead to dire consequences for
everybody, not just the unvaccinated; and
(3) passing legislation
that requires all children to be vaccinated.
References:
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Measles Cases
and Outbreaks. Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
[2]
World Health Organization. (2019). Ten threats to global health in 2019.
Available online: https://www.who.int/emergencies/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019
About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over one million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @AIDSHealthcare
