Some once nearly eradicated diseases are making a comeback these days as more people lose sight of the value of childhood vaccinations.



The Centers for Disease Control reports 566 measles cases in the U.S. this year � a record number since 2000 � spanning 20 states. In Wichita, four cases have been reported, one forcing the temporary shutdown of a day-care center when it was discovered that a child with measles potentially had exposed other children to the illness.



So what�s to blame for measles� massive resurgence in 2014? One cause is a big outbreak in the Philippines that is being carried back to the United States by travelers, the CDC says. Another is large groups of people without vaccination in communities with measles outbreaks, which has largely resulted from misinformation about the effects of the measles vaccine.



In fact, the 1998 British study that presented a causal link between the measles vaccine and autism could not be replicated by other scientists and was retracted in 2010. And the doctor behind the study eventually was barred from practicing medicine in the United Kingdom after it was revealed that his research had been financed by lawyers angling for a way to bring litigation against vaccine makers.



And statistically, an unvaccinated child is more at risk of contracting measles than a vaccinated child is to suffer adverse reactions to the vaccination. In fact, the CDC estimates that the chance of death from measles is 2 in 1,000 while the risk of death from an adverse reaction to vaccination is 1 in a million. Nevertheless, a significant number of people in the United States refuses to accept scientific evidence and perpetuates the idea that vaccinations are inherently bad for children.



The antivaccination movement puts the community at risk by creating a foothold for diseases to take root and spread. In today�s world, the need and effectiveness of vaccinations might not be easy to see, because many of the diseases that once plagued this country largely have been stamped out by multigenerational use of vaccines. There was a time, however, when measles infected millions of Americans each year, hospitalized tens of thousands, left thousands with chronic illnesses and caused several hundred deaths annually.



It is because of vaccination that diseases like measles, polio and smallpox aren�t prevalent and devastating in American communities. And, ironically, the success of such vaccination programs has partially contributed to the idea that vaccination isn�t critically important.



But with a potential outbreak brewing locally, it is worthwhile once again to consider the pros and cons of vaccination, refreshing our memories with the history of such diseases and how it came that they weren�t a part of everyday American life.



By Jason Probst/Hutchinson News editorial board