A current issue that has taken America by storm is numerous parent’s decision which chooses not to vaccinate their children. According to US health officials, measle cases of 2019 has already surpassed the amount of last year. This year’s numbers have been driven by outbreaks in several states, including New York, California, Illinois, Texas, and Washington.

The “anti-vaccine” movement gained momentum in the US notably since 1998. The movement proclaimed in the publication that there is a connection between a vaccine and autism. The British doctor Andrew Wakefield found the triple viral vaccine which applies for immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella was linked with the autism. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of children who have never got vaccination has quadrupled since 2001, reaching 1.3 percent of children born in 2015.

Measles is a disease that spreads through air produced from coughing or sneezing, consequently being very contractible to someone who is unvaccinated. Some symptoms of measles include runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever, and red, blotchy skin rash. There is a small fraction of the population where measles is a much more severe disease. These people suffer from pneumonia and swelling of the brain. If a pregnant woman were to contract this disease, it could cause her to deliver prematurely. According to the CDC, the measles vaccine is 97% effective. Parents are making a choice not to vaccinate simply because most of them think that this disease has died off. “Out of sight out of mind,” says US CDC. Because diseases like measles have never been seen in society for the last few years many people don’t understand how dangerous it truly is.