Daily Herald opinion: For everyone’s safety

With measles cases rising, IDPH’s check of unvaccinated students is the right call

Maybe you’ve heard — measles is back.

Twenty-four years after the disease was eradicated in the U.S., measles is back.

Sixty-one years after the first measles vaccine was available to the public, measles is back.

And while some people may think the illness is back only in Chicago, think again. DuPage County reported its first measles case this past Saturday. And Lake, Kane and suburban Cook counties have all reported cases in the past few weeks, too.

Another troubling statistic from the Illinois State Board of Education — more than 690 schools statewide fall below the 95% vaccination rate that triggers herd immunity.

As of April 15, 64 cases have been reported in Illinois this year, with a total of 121 cases reported in the U.S.

Now, the Illinois Department of Health wants to control any potential outbreaks, especially in schools.

On April 8, the IDPH sent a letter to state regional offices of education asking that schools review immunization records for all students, then contact parents of children not up-to-date on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. If students haven’t had the vaccine, or don’t have evidence of immunity to measles, schools will remind parents of the exclusion policy if there is an outbreak.

This would include students “who are not completely vaccinated due to religious exemption, medical exemption, McKinney-Vento exception, on an approved schedule, or noncompliance with measles vaccination,” according to the IDPH.

Some may see this as controversial. Why punish kids when it’s not their fault? When kids are excluded from school, it’s like putting a scarlet letter on their backs. Everyone will know.

So, schools must handle with tact issues that arise. After all, parents made the decision, not the kids.

But the goal of the IDPH and schools around the state also must be to protect all kids — kids who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons or who haven’t finished the full series of the vaccine.

We support these efforts. After 60-plus years, the MMR vaccine has proven itself safe. And measles has proven to be an awful disease, often causing hospitalization and even death. No one who is able to get this vaccine should be turning it down. But people are, and now we’re in a situation where a once-eradicated disease is spreading — and it should not be. This is a preventable illness, and no one should suffer its wrath when they don’t have to.

Remember, it’s not just about you. Yes, vaccines protect you, but they also protect infants too young to be vaccinated or anyone with weak or failing immune systems, like people with cancer or HIV/AIDS.

Let’s hope we don’t have any outbreaks at our schools or elsewhere. We hope parents made responsible decisions at pediatrician well visits so their children are up to date on all vaccines. Doctors recommend a schedule for these immunizations, and parents should follow it.

For those who don’t, the IDPH is doing what’s necessary to protect everyone. We applaud the schools’ efforts in checking health records, reaching out to parents of unvaccinated children and, in situations where outbreaks threaten to spread the disease, keeping these kids out of the classroom.

Because vaccines are not just about protecting you. They protect all of us.