Anti-vaccine folks like to talk about death and measles, as long as they can talk about vaccine deaths, something they seem to think happens commonly.
“Over the past ten years in the U.S., there has been one reported death from the measles, and it is unclear based on the medical history of the patient whether and how measles played a role in their death. During the same time period (based on Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reports), there have been 105 reported deaths associated with the MMR or MMRV vaccinations.”
Measles Madness: Dr. Brian Hooker’s Statement to WA Legislators
There are two big problems with this statement, that is so often repeated that it is clearly a PRATT – a point refuted a thousand times.
The reports in VAERS about deaths after MMR are not proof of a cause-and-effect relationship.
“Reports of all possible associations between vaccines and adverse events (possible side effects) are filed in VAERS. Therefore, VAERS collects data on any adverse event following vaccination, be it coincidental or truly caused by a vaccine. The report of an adverse event to VAERS is not documentation that a vaccine caused the event.”
Guide to Interpreting VAERS Data
In fact, studies have shown that most of the reports of deaths submitted to VAERS are coincidental and not causally associated with a vaccine.
But what about deaths following a natural measles infection?
There are plenty of those that anti-vaccine folks love to ignore.
Where are they?
These deaths are all in the CDC Wonder database.
Before the death of the woman in Washington in 2015, the CDC caused a lot of confusion by stating that “the last verifiable death in the United States from acute measles infection occurred in 2003 when there were 2 reported deaths.”
Does that mean that the measles deaths in 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2012 didn’t happen?
Of course not!
The information in the CDC Wonder database comes from death certificates that are sent in from all over the United States to the National Vital Statistics System. The system isn’t like VAERS though, where just anyone can send in a report. Still, they are unverified, which is why the CDC doesn’t mention them all.
Still, if anti-vaccine folks are going to push VAERS reports that we know are likely coincidental, then they shouldn’t ignore these measles deaths.
More About Measles Deaths in the United States
- VAXOPEDIA – How Many People Die in the USA Every Year from Being Vaccinated?
- VAXOPEDIA – When Was the Last Measles Death in the United States?
- VAXOPEDIA – The Myth That Measles Isn’t Deadly
- VAXOPEDIA – Who Dies with Measles?
- VAXOPEDIA – How Many People Die from Vaccine Preventable Diseases These Days?
- VAXOPEDIA – Did Better Hygiene and Sanitation Get Rid of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases?
- VAXOPEDIA – Did the Measles Vaccine Have Only a Meager Effect on Deaths?
- VAXOPEDIA – Why Do We Only Worry About Measles?
- Guide to Interpreting VAERS Data
- MMWR – Epidemiology of Measles — United States, 2001–2003
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis Death — Oregon, 2015
- Yep, measles is still a killing disease
- Measles Doesn’t Kill, Except When It Does
- A Death from Measles
- Cruel delayed death from measles
- sadly – another: Aliana has SSPE
- Yep, measles is still a killing disease
- SSPE: A Deadly and Not-That-Rare Complication of Measles
- Yes, California children are dying of measles. Today. It’s called SSPE.
- CDC – Wonder Online Databases
