(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s only had one confirmed case of measles this year, but outbreaks are popping up in other states with more than 23-hundred cases nationwide. As Iowa parents prepare their kids for the start of school, some are debating what vaccines, if any, they need. Dr. Giridhar Mallya (GEAR-ee-thur MAHL-yah), senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says the rise of measles is unfortunate, as it was eliminated from the U-S in 2000.
Mallya is reminding parents in Iowa that making sure their child is vaccinated is the best way to decrease their risk of getting sick.
Mallya says deciding not to have a child vaccinated puts that child — and other children — at risk. He says parents need to stay informed, and not take advice from influencers on social media.
U-S Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior is a decades-long vaccine skeptic. Mallya says the administration is spreading vaccine misinformation, slashing funding to local health departments, and making changes to childhood vaccine recommendations, all of which undermine the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
In addition to the M-M-R (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, Mallya says there’s a list of inoculations kids should have before returning to class. He again refers people to their doctor, or to aap.org. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest U-S philanthropic foundation focused solely on health.
