President Trump signed an executive order on Monday that infants should receive fewer immunizations over a longer period. The move comes despite little scientific evidence supporting such sweeping changes. It also comes at a time when a new report shows that most Arizona classrooms do not have high enough vaccination rates to prevent a measles outbreak.
A majority of classrooms across the state have immunization rates below the level recommended to prevent an outbreak. Arizona has had 342 measles cases since last year — the highest tally the state has seen in more than three decades. The majority of those cases have been among unvaccinated kids under 18, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The MMR vaccine provides strong, lifelong protection against measles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at blocking the virus. But measles is so contagious that about 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated to stop its spread. Only a quarter of Arizona’s kindergarten classrooms hit that target last year, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, joined “Arizona Horizon” to explain the implications Arizona will face as a result of this order.
Humble’s says that his view is not “gloom and doom” on this executive order, but rather he views it as “performative”. Moreover, in this executive order he takes problem with the communicated themes from the administration that vaccines are “unsafe”.
Looking at the vaccination rates in the state as the school year has begun, Humble says that it varies by what part of the state you’re in. According to Humble, Pima County and Santa Cruz County have some of the highest rates of vaccination. Also, Mohave County and Gila County have some of the lowest rates of vaccination.
For the overall amount of measles vaccinations, Humble says that the there is a 88% vaccination rate in Arizona. Although, he says that the state should be at 95%.
