Senators push CDC to use vaccines amidst Washington Measles outbreak

With 79 measles cases already confirmed this year, the top Democrat and Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee have dispatched a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), urging them to promote vaccine use.

“While vaccination rates in the U.S. continue to be generally high, pockets of unvaccinated people and decreasing vaccination rates, particularly in children, are concerning and of significant risk to public health,” U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) wrote. “There is no question that vaccines are an unparalleled public health success; the routine vaccination of four million children born annually in the U.S. results in 42,000 lives saved and 20 million cases of disease prevented. Vaccines save lives. If vaccine hesitancy persists – or even expands – it could seriously undermine these important advances,”

The majority of the 79 measles cases that have been confirmed in the United States have been centered in Washington state. It builds on the 372 cases reported last year. Until 2017, global vaccination efforts had been showing clear reductions in reported cases, but a decrease in immunization is causing the deadly child viral infection to make a comeback. In fact, in 2000, measles had been officially eliminated in the United States.

The senators’ letter was addressed to CDC Director Robert Redfield and DHHS Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir. Aside from pushing for greater vaccination efforts, they also wanted to know what actions both departments were actively taking to boost those rates. Citing the World Health Organization, they noted that vaccine hesitancy is a top health threat this year.

“Many factors contribute to vaccine hesitancy, all of which demand attention from CDC and NVPO,” the senators wrote. “These concurrent outbreaks underscore the growing influence of vaccine hesitancy, the variability of state laws regarding vaccination, and other challenges that contribute to decreasing vaccination rates. CDC and NVPO can play an important role in understanding the factors that may affect a state or county’s ability to achieve herd immunity and strengthen vaccination rates within communities. While strong recommendations from health care providers play a critical role in vaccine uptake, the spread of misinformation, including unsubstantiated information about vaccines and their side effects, can influence vaccine coverage rates and promote public discord on vaccination.”