MeaslesLand

Why Do We Care?

Measles, mumps, rubella - all diseases that were nearly eradicated by vaccines are now re-emerging across the USA and Europe. France, in particular, is seeing a dramatic increase in number of measles cases. This is most likely due to the fact that France is the most skeptical nation regarding vaccinations. An article published on July 7th, 2017 showed that 56% of French parents are against mandatory vaccinations. This poll came three days after Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced vaccines against eight additional diseases will become obligatory in 2018. Unfortunately, it required a large-scale measles outbreak across the country (295 confirmed cases in the first six months of 2017) to encourage government and health authorities to initiate this new legislation. As scientists, we feel it is our responsibility to help educate the public and provide them with information they can trust. The United States should learn from France’s skepticism and mandate vaccination before measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, become epidemics in the U.S.