House bill would help prevent outbreaks of measles, other contagious diseases

Legislation that would increase immunization rates across the country to prevent future outbreaks of contagious diseases was introduced in Congress this week.

The Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act will give the Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) resources it needs to understand what drives barriers to immunization vaccines and why some are hesitant to take them. They will allow CDC officials to better track where there are changes in vaccine refusal rates. This information will enable officials to better predict where an outbreak might occur because of low immunization rates. In turn, they will target those areas for vaccine education campaigns before an outbreak occurs.

“Vaccines are safe and effective tools that can protect Americans from preventable suffering,” said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the bill’s sponsor. “This bill reinforces vaccines’ lifesaving potential. As the most senior physician serving in Congress, I am glad to work alongside Dr. Schrier, the newest doctor to join the U.S. House of Representatives, to improve the health and wellbeing of the American people.”

While the vast majority of people have received the recommended immunizations for preventable diseases, a growing share of young children have not, as shown by the recent measles epidemic that has quickly spread in communities with clusters of unvaccinated people.

“Vaccines were one of the greatest medical accomplishments of the 20th century and have been proven safe and effective at preventing diseases that once killed or greatly harmed people around the world,” Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said. “As a pediatrician, I understand that parents want to do what they think is best for their children, and some do not vaccinate because of unfounded fears. We are now seeing outbreaks of diseases like measles, which was considered eliminated 19 years ago, in part because of anti-vaccine campaigns around the country. This bill will make sure that parents have access to facts about vaccines, so they can make an informed decision.”

Reps. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) also co-sponsored the bill.

“As a medical professional for over 30 years, I find it absolutely ridiculous that we are seeing illnesses that should not be a public health concern now making a comeback,” Schrader said. “We’d made such great progress in the medical community with eradicating deadly illnesses; work that is now being undone by the rise of misinformation around scientifically proven preventative care. Over the last year in Oregon, we’ve been dealing with the largest measles outbreak in 20 years, putting our most vulnerable populations at unnecessary risk. And now, we have a problem that now requires a solution.”

Guthrie said that misinformation about vaccines has led some to believe that they are not safe.

“Vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective, and vaccines save lives. The VACCINES Act recognizes the vital role vaccines play in keeping children and communities safe and recommends needed funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct surveillance research and public messaging. As measles outbreaks continue to spread, this bill could not be more important or timely. The American Academy of Pediatrics is proud to support the legislation and commends Reps. Schrier (D-Wa.), a pediatrician, and Rep. Burgess (R-Texas), an obstetrician/gynecologist, for their leadership,” President of the American Academy of Pediatrics Kyle Yasuda said.