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Childhood vaccine exemptions are at an all-time high. Doctors worry diseases like measles could return (abcnews.go.com)

submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/health@lemmy.world

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Exemptions for immunizations required in school are on the rise in the U.S., leading to concerns among medical experts that diseases like measles could soon make a comeback in many states.

In November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that exemptions for immunizations required in school is the highest ever recorded in U.S. history – increasing to an average 3.0% in the 2022-2023 school year, with 10 states now reporting exemptions exceeding 5%. This leaves both vaccinated and unvaccinated children vulnerable to disease outbreaks including measles, experts say.

"There's 9 million people in this country who can't be vaccinated. They depend on those around them to protect them," Dr. Paul Offit, a virologist and vaccine advocate, told ABC News.

In his upcoming book, "Tell Me When It's Over: An Insider's Guide to Deciphering Covid Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World," Offit gives a historical account of the anti-vaccination movement in the U.S. and explains the rise of non-medical immunization exemptions over time and how these trends relate to the nationwide pushback against COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

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[–] psvrh@lemmy.ca 42 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Thanks, Donald Trump and the American political Right, for making one of the greatest health innovations of the last two centuries into a political shibboleth.

Why don't you demonize antibiotics, handwashing and cooking your food next?

[+] bluGill@kbin.social -24 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Antivax was a popular idea on the left for years. It is only reciently that the got some of the right on.

[–] psvrh@lemmy.ca 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It was mildly popular among a very small number of of people on the left. You may as wells ay crystal healing was popular on the left.

No mainstream leftist or centrist political figure made it badge of membership, but it's now mainstream among the right-wing, as is climate change denialism.

[–] random65837@lemmy.world -5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

No, it's not actually. There is absolutely nothing mainstream on the right about being anti-vax, people who are against COVID vaccines, and no other ones aren't anti-vax. That's not how that works. Being a true anti-vaxxer is far more prevalent on the left than it is on the right. Huge surprise, not everybody makes a call based on some political cookie cutter hive mind ideal.

[–] c0mbatbag3l@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Climate change denial and anti-vax have absolutely been a badge of membership by the right for years. Followed closely by young Earth Creationism, since right wing is essentially synonymous with fundamentalist Christianity at this point.

If you tell someone you don't agree on those points they'll call you a RINO.

[–] Fades@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

We get it, you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about

[–] bluGill@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

I've been (unfortunately) following them for more than a decade. Left wing was the majority for most of that. Then they discovered the "freedom" message resonated with the right wing. As @psvrh said below it was always a fringe of the left wing, but still mostly left wing movement.