As measles cases rise across the United States, misinformation about the life-threatening infection can put people at risk.
Nationwide, cases have surpassed 600, with infections confirmed in 21 states. The majority of cases have been reported in Texas, where more than 500 people have been infected and two children have died.
Here’s what to know about some of the common measles myths:
Myth: Measles isn’t serious
Measles is a highly contagious disease and in some cases, it can cause severe infections in the lungs and brain that can lead to cognitive issues, deafness or death. Two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died in this year’s outbreak.
While most people’s symptoms improve, many who are unvaccinated can suffer greatly. For example, about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people with measles will be hospitalized, about 1 out of every 1,000 children who catch it will develop brain swelling that can lead to brain damage. Up to 3 of every 1,000 children infected with measles will die, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Up to 9 out of 10 susceptible people who come in close contact to someone with measles will get the disease, the CDC says. The virus is transmitted by contact with infectious droplets or by breathing the air an infected person breathed, coughed or sneezed in. Even after an infected person leaves an area, the virus can remain infections in the air for up to two hours, the CDC says.
Myth: The MMR vaccine isn’t effective
Decades of research and analysis show the measles vaccination, which is normally given as part of the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, is safe and effective
One dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles and the recommended two doses is 97% effective, the CDC says. And for most people, the MMR vaccine will protect you for life.
The Texas outbreak is primarily affecting children and teenagers, nearly all of whom were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. State and local health officials confirmed the first patient who died was an unvaccinated school-aged child and the second was an unvaccinated 8-year-old girl. Neither had underlying health conditions before they got sick from measles, the Texas health department said.
Before vaccines became available in the 1960s, an estimated 3 to 4 million Americans would catch measles each year, about 48,000 would be hospitalized, and between 400 to 500 — mostly children — died each year, the CDC says.
After previously downplaying the growing number cases, and a history of making false and misleading claims about the safety of the MMR vaccine, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced support for the vaccine during an April visit to Texas, where he attended a service for the second child who died there.
In a social media post, he wrote: “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine.”
In an opinion piece published by Fox News in March, Kennedy also encouraged the shot, writing, “vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said on “CBS Mornings” that that Kennedy’s comments are an important step.
“The secretary is one of the leading proponents of the myth that these vaccines cause autism, and so for him to be acknowledging that one of the most important tools we have to curb this outbreak is vaccination is really important here,” she said.
Myth: The MMR vaccine causes autism
Numerous scientific studies over many years have shown there is no connection between autism and the MMR vaccine. Still, the unfounded fears persist. This is largely due to a paper published in The Lancet medical journal in the 1990s that was later retracted after its data was found to be false and manipulated.
But vaccines are among the most studied medical interventions. For example, more than 12,000 people took part in clinical trials of the most recent MMR vaccine, according to the FDA.
Autism Speaks, an autism awareness organization, also makes clear that autism and vaccines are not linked.
“Scientists have conducted extensive research all over the world over the last two decades to examine the link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The result of this research is clear: vaccines do not cause autism,” the organization’s website states.
Myth: Vitamin A can prevent or cure measles
Kennedy has also shared some misleading information about the potential role of vitamins in measles treatment and prevention.
In some studies, Vitamin A has been shown to reduce the severity of measles and the risk of death from the virus — but these studies were among highly malnourished populations in low-income countries. Research shows Vitamin A supplements are not a substitute for measles vaccination, even among severely malnourished groups.
“Vitamin A reduces the risk of some complications among severely malnourished kids who have Vitamin A deficiency. It does not prevent measles or the damage the infection does to the immune system,” Gounder, who is also an infectious disease specialist, said. “Vitamin A is not a substitute for measles vaccination.”
In the U.S., Vitamin A deficiency is rare, affecting less than 1% of the population. Too much Vitamin A can also lead to the risk of liver toxicity, according to the National Institutes of Health.
