Health leaders call for national vaccine campaign after measles outbreak costs Washington $1 million

The growing measles outbreak has now cost the state more than $1 million and tied up 200 health workers. Dr. John Wiesman, Washington state's secretary of health, shared the details in front of a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday during a hearing about vaccines. He’s calling for a national campaign to counter anti-vaccine messages that are out there.

“I see your pain and desire for answers to your children's health issues,” Dr. Wiesman said as he began his testimony with an olive branch to parents worried about vaccines. “While the science is clear that vaccines do not cause autism, we do need to better understand its causes.”

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

He and other doctors were emphatic that the measles vaccine is safe. Just this week, a new study out of Denmark that looked at all children born in that country over the last 10 years showed the MMR vaccine does not trigger autism.

There are currently 71 measles cases in Washington state, mostly in children who weren't vaccinated.  There are four cases in Oregon and one in Georgia tied to the outbreak in Clark County, Washington.

“It's a terror for parents with newborns who cannot yet get vaccinated,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D. Wash., said. “And a strain on the public health system.”

Murray is calling for more public education.

“These outbreaks are evidence we have to do more to address vaccine hesitancy,” she said. “And make sure parents have the facts they need to understand the science.”

Dr. Wiesman is calling on Congress to raise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget by 22 percent to address the importance and safety of all vaccines. He also pointed to the success of the Truth Tobacco campaign. He wants a similar national campaign partnering with states to counter the anti-vaccine messages.

“We have lost much ground,” he said. “Urgent action is necessary.”

Cox Media Group