Italy’s Measles Outbreak Could Be Result Of Vaccine Skepticism

New York Times: Populism, Politics and Measles
Editorial Board

“…A serious outbreak of measles in Italy and in some other European countries could well be the result of a drop-off in vaccinations caused by utterly misguided and discredited claims about their dangers. … In Italy, the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) led by the comedian Beppe Grillo has campaigned actively on an anti-vaccination platform, … repeating the false ties between vaccinations and autism. To these and other skeptics, the measles outbreak in Italy should sound a piercing alarm. … Combating vaccine skepticism is not easy, because even the countless studies by innumerable health groups affirming that there is no link between vaccines and autism have failed to penetrate the fog spread by Mr. Grillo and his ilk. The Italian measles outbreak, unfortunate as it is, does give health authorities an opportunity to strengthen their case by pointing to concrete evidence of what inevitably follows when vaccinations drop off” (5/2).

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