Measles deaths triple in Europe due to failure to vaccinate children

The latest figures that are becoming known on measles in the European Union are, unfortunately, very alarming. And it is that although we had almost managed to eradicate this infectious disease thanks to vaccines , this same year measles cases have tripled. Of 3,805 cases across the European Union that occurred last year, during the first nine months of 2017 alone there were more than 10,000 infections .

The fact that this disease, for which vaccines exist, has tripled is extremely worrying. Because it is a disease that we could practically make disappear by putting the necessary means , but we have not succeeded.

Measles, by itself, is not an excessively dangerous disease . It is caused by a virus, and usually causes fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, a general feeling of dizziness and a few small spots inside the mouth. The worst thing about this is that sometimes it can cause serious problems (in very few cases, but these exist) and that there is no treatment to alleviate measles. But by vaccinating children, it is very possible to prevent it.

VACCINATING IS THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention , we are facing a situation that can become complicated. Because between January and September there have been a total of thirty deaths, while last year there were only twelve. Double the number of deaths , when there are vaccines that could avoid absolutely all of them, simply by raising awareness among the population. Measles could be eradicated for years, but there are still those who believe that vaccines have harmful side effects, preferring to be carried away by tabloid news than to listen to science.

According to the World Health Organization, the countries that have had measles peaks have been Romania and Italy, and all this is for not vaccinating. Especially Romania, which has already suffered more than two thirds of the total measles deaths that have taken place on our continent. This has a lot to do with the fact that the immunization rate has dropped, both in this country and in the European Union.

By vaccinating our children, we guarantee to protect the entire population in general. And it is that with only 95% immunization, it is possible to protect the entire society, despite the fact that there is 5% who are not immune. But in recent years, the immunization rate in Europe has dropped by two percent, and we are already at 93%.

The main affected countries have begun to take measures to make vaccinating mandatory, since they know what is at stake. The problem with all this is the people who consider themselves “anti-vaccines”, since they are the ones who are stopping vaccinating their children and, therefore, putting absolutely all of us at risk of contracting this type of disease.

THE PROBLEM: MISINFORMATION

Vaccinating does not bring irreparable, toxic or negative consequences; vaccines do not have side effects, as a rule, that destroy the health of children . All these myths and pseudo-scientific taboos are what are causing people to stop vaccinating their children and, as a consequence, diseases like measles get worse.

England has already warned all those who have not been vaccinated and who want to travel to Romania or Italy of the consequences that this can have on their health. Being skeptical about the whole issue of vaccines is not bringing us more than negative consequences; And despite the fact that the experts are already warning us, there are still those who maintain that vaccines cause autism (something that has already been shown to be impossible). Faced with misinformation, the only alternative is to try to make citizens see that vaccines protect them.