Rising measles cases and misinformation challenge healthcare professionals to educate, prevent spread, and promote vaccination. Dr. Linda Girgis weighs in. 

One thing most of us practicing medicine never imagined we would treat in our careers is a case of measles. Yet, current news is rife with the rising cases happening in the US. For most, our knowledge of this infectious disease comes from textbooks rather than real-life experience.

Many of the “antivaxxer crowd” claim there is nothing to worry about, it is just a benign childhood illness. Some have gone to the extent of hosting “measles parties” to bring on natural immunity. Unfortunately, being infected can come at a high price as statistics show us that out of every 1,000 people infected, one to two will die, one will develop encephalitis that can cause permanent neurological damage, and one out of every four will be hospitalized.

What is tragic about these measles complications is the fact that it was considered eradicated from the US due to a highly effective vaccination program, the only thing proven to prevent infection. Furthermore, many people are now turning to pseudoscience and those profiting from it rather than medically trained professionals at their own risk. Convincing people of medical facts and proven data has never been more difficult. I think most are not prepared for a measles outbreak, especially swimming against the tide of skewed healthcare information.

What can we do?

• Educate ourselves. We need to know what a typical measles case looks like and the potential complications that come along with it. We need to look to trusted sources for the most updated information.
• Educate our patients. We need to be comfortable telling our patients what information is reliable and what is not. There is an abundance of healthcare data online these days and it is hard for many to know what sound knowledge is and what is not. We need to help our patients make sound decisions about vaccines and avoidance of those who may be infected. No, “measles parties” are not a good idea. While most of the kids attending will turn out fine, if your child is the one out of a thousand who dies, you will forever regret that decision.
• Mitigate the spread of disease. We need to keep our antennae raised to the possibility of infection in our patients. We need to isolate, or recommend isolation, in suspected patients. Measles is one of the most easily spread infections in the world.
• Vaccinate. We should be vaccinating all those at risk who weren’t previously vaccinated. Some patients require titers for their work. If those titers show lack of immunity, those patients should be vaccinated. Of course, this is not such an easy task as it used to be. We often must fight against a mountain of disinformation. There are now many studies showing clear data debunking the link between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. We need to be familiar with some of these studies and be able to speak to our patients about them.
• Don’t give in to pressure. Vitamin A is not a cure for measles no matter who says it is. Patients may ask for vaccine exemptions even if they don’t meet the requirements. Don’t make up an MMR vaccine allergy just so a patient can be exempt. If a patient doesn’t want to take it, they can’t be forced to take it. But, as doctors, we need to do the right thing. We need to advise of the real data and say no to signing off on things that may be not true or bending the truth.
• Keep going. It is easy to get overwhelmed by everything happening in the world these days. Some days, it is all too easy to just give up and let patients have their way, so we don’t have to deal with unpleasantries. This is especially true for many who advocate for such things on social media. There may be trolls and bullies out there, but medical fact is medical fact. Science is science. We are trained medical professionals. We didn’t study for so many years and sacrifice so much to just give up on making a difference. Convincing just one person can prevent a whole community of infections. 

Are we prepared to handle measles? Probably not, but we weren’t prepared for COVID either and we handled it the best we could. The same will be true for any infection that comes our way. We know science. We care about our patients. What we do matters and we will make a difference, maybe not to everyone, but enough that it can change lives.

Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of Physician’s Weekly, their employees, and affiliates.