Concerned parents attend forum on measles





MEETING OF MINDS—UCLA’s Matteo Dinolfo and LVUSD Supt. Dan Stepenosky head the discussion.

MEETING OF MINDS—UCLA’s Matteo Dinolfo and LVUSD Supt. Dan Stepenosky head the discussion.

The message parents received at the Las Virgenes Unified School District community forum on why vaccinations for measles and other infectious diseases are vital for public health was clear: Vaccinations are not only safe, they save lives.

Dr. Matteo Dinolfo, the medical director at UCLA Health Community Practices, presented a program at the school district office on Tuesday to discuss the fact and fiction surrounding the disease that was nearly eradicated in the U.S. but has now made a comeback.

“Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available,” Dinolfo said.

In 2013, nearly 146,000 people worldwide died from measles. Conversely, measles vaccinations administered to people worldwide between the years 2000 and 2013 resulted in a drop of measles deaths by 75 percent.

A record number of measles cases were reported by the CDC in 2014, with 644 cases identified in 27 states.

But, measles is on the rise.

The December outbreak at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim continues to spread. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 13, 141 cases of measles in 17 states has been reported to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the outbreaks are in California.

The information session at the school district office was conducted, in part, as a response to the news that 42 percent of students at Mariposa School of Global Education in Agoura Hills were not vaccinated, a fact that Dinolfo found startling.

The risk of the disease is real, Dinolfo said. Failure to vaccinate against measles—and rubella— puts children at risk for such health complications as pneumonia, brain damage, deafness, blindness, heart disease and more.

The problem with low vaccination rates at public schools is that “herd” immunity, or “community immunity” is weakened when vaccination rates drop, Dinolfo said. A high vaccination rate in a community protects more people, especially babies and people with chronic illnesses.

Non-vaxxers

When one parent asked the doctor why some people are so opposed to vaccinations, he said some people fear mercury additives, but he also pointed out, “You get more aluminum from breast feeding than the vaccine.”

Dinolfo also addressed misinformation that linked the vaccine with autism.

The claim has been disproven in the medical community, and the doctor who wrote the article connecting the shots to autism lost his medical license.

Oak Park resident Nicole Johnson balked at Dinolfo’s presentation and accused him of ignoring studies that show a risk of brain damage when the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are taken together.

“You’re ignoring the proof of harm,” and said the doctor was misleading the crowd.

Dinolfo denied being misleading and stated repeatedly that vaccines are safe and save lives.

Johnson asked what happened to the days when parents would hold “measles parties” so their child could just get the disease over with. “It used to be a rite of passage,” she said.

“I wouldn’t want to have any of those illnesses,” Dinolfo said. “I don’t think it’s a rational way to look at things—exposing kids to possible death.”

Superintendent Dan Stepenosky said that overall, LVUSD vaccinations rates are at a high 94 percent, which is enough for the herd immunity to kick in and protect the general population.


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