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Doctors and public health leaders say Michigan is seeing a rise in “vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Both whooping cough and measles are seeing outbreaks across the state. Whooping cough with 855 reported cases, which is “well on pace to match or exceed last year’s unprecedented total of over 2,000 cases,” according to IVaccinate.org. While measles cases spiked to 18, with the disease returning to the state for the first time since 2019.
On Wednesday morning, doctors and health leaders came together to urge vaccinations when preventable diseases rise.
Veronica McNally lived every parent’s worst nightmare when she lost her healthy, infant daughter to whooping cough, a vaccine-preventable disease.
She started the I Vaccinate campaign to make sure no parent has to go through what she did.
“And what I did was found the I Vaccinate Campaign to provide credible, scientific information to parents so they can protect their children,” she said.
When parents have questions about the vaccines they use, she wants to make sure they are avoiding the misinformation.
“And that’s what we want to address, it is misinformation that is problematic, it is not being able to get information to resolve your questions that is problematic,” McNally said.
A survey from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on parents with children under 6 shows, while 85% of parents say childhood vaccines are very or extremely important, only 78% trust their own doctors’ guidance on vaccines.
Dr. Joshua Meyerson, Medical Director for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, says schools and communities “with lower immunization rates” have seen larger outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Ann Sheehan is the Assistant Dean for Faculty Practice and Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at Michigan State University. She says part of the reason why so many people are hesitant to get themselves or their child vaccinated is because of the abundance of information that is readily available to people.
She says when looking at studies or advice, making sure it is credible should be a top priority.