Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s picks for government health posts have expressed skepticism about the safety of childhood vaccines. It’s a sentiment shared by a growing number of parents choosing to do so. To skip the recommended shots for your child.
But while everyone seems to be talking about the potential side effects of vaccines, few are discussing the diseases they prevent.
More than half a century after many vaccinations became routine in the United States, the experience of contracting these diseases has been largely erased from the public memory. Today’s question is Vaccine risk-benefit ratio It may simply be a product of the success of the vaccine itself.
Here’s what people need to know about six once-common diseases that have been contained by vaccines for decades.
measles
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that is often spread through coughing and sneezing, and if a person is not vaccinated, 9 out of 10 people around an infected person will become infected with measles. Measles can be transmitted indoors up to two hours after an infected person leaves the room.
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