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 Some 764 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the United
States so far this year, the most seen in 25 years, in an outbreak
that public health officials have called "completely avoidable" and
largely linked to misinformation campaigns against the vaccines.
A small but vocal community of parents refuse to vaccinate their
children, citing concerns about the injections that are not
supported by science. But the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed U.S. adults
by a wide majority share the scientific consensus that the highly
contagious and sometimes deadly disease is dangerous, while vaccines
are safe.
Eighty-five percent of the 2,008 adults polled April 30 through May
2 said that all children should be required to get vaccinated unless
there was a medical reason not to, such as an allergy or compromised
immune system. Some 77 percent said children should be immunized
even if their parents object to the vaccinations.
"Those numbers are not really as high as they should be," said Dr.
Jennifer Lighter, an epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health hospital
in New York. "It's putting children at risk and other people at risk
who are vulnerable to severe measles if you're not vaccinating your
own child."
In order to achieve herd immunity that protects those unable to get
the measles vaccine, such as infants and people with compromised
immune systems, 90% to 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated.
Less than 4 percent of respondents said they do not believe the
vaccine is safe.
State and local officials in recent weeks have looked at new ways to
fight the outbreak. In New York City, where some 423 cases have been
recorded, Mayor Bill de Blasio last month issued a mandatory
vaccination order for Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood and other
communities hard-hit by the disease.
Lawmakers in a half-dozen states are mulling new measures that would
prohibit parents from citing religious or personal beliefs to avoid
vaccinating their children.
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"The government's role should definitely be to mandate the vaccine,"
Lighter said. "It is a safety issue. It's a law to wear your
seatbelt, it should be a law to get vaccinated."
Officials have also warned that certain adults living in areas
hard-hit by the epidemic, which include parts of California, New
Jersey and Michigan, may need another shot to ensure that they are
protected from measles.
Many adults are unsure if they remain immune, given that
vaccinations are typically administered early in childhood.
Twenty-two percent of respondents told Reuters/Ipsos that they
either are not vaccinated for the disease or don't remember if they
are.
Doctors attributed this memory failure to the fact that many people
got the vaccine as young children and often do not have
documentation because they received it before electronic records
were kept.
"That's one of the most crucial areas where we can intervene," said
Dr. Teresa Dean, an internist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles. Doctors recommend that adults who are unsure of their
immunity should get tested and then get the vaccine if needed.
The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3
percentage points.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter, additional reporting by Chris Kahn
in New York, writing by Scott Malone; editing by Bill Berkrot)
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