Themeasles outbreak and vaccine controversy, visualized

More than 100 people in15 states were diagnosed with measles in January, with 92% of the cases relatedto an outbreak that began before Christmas at Disneyland in California.

Growingnumbers of parents in recent years have skipped or delayed recommendedvaccinations for their children, a trend that has led to a resurgence ofmeasles. USA TODAY's Liz Szabo explains why routine shots have become so controversial.

Q: Why are some parentschoosing not to vaccinate?

A: Many parents are concerned thatvaccines can cause autism, a belief that originated with a now-discredited 1998study, which has circulated on the Internet and has been promoted by somecelebrities. The British journal that published the study, "The Lancet,"retracted it in 2010. British medical authorities found the author,Andrew Wakefield, guilty of serious misconduct and stripped him of the abilityto practice medicine in 2010 after finding that he had accepted $675,000 from alawyer who was hoping to sue vaccine makers.

Q:What does science say about vaccine safety?

A: Vaccines are extremely safe,says Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children'sHospital of Philadelphia. Fourteen scientific studies have found no linkbetween measles vaccines and autism. Seven have found no link between autismand thimerosal, a preservative no longer used in childhood vaccines. And twostudies have failed to find any link between autism and the number of vaccinesa child gets.

Q:How has the controversy affected vaccination rates?

A: Nearly 40% of parents oftoddlers have skipped or delayed a childhood vaccination, a 2010 study found.Measles vaccination rates vary greatly by state. Nearly 100% of kindergartenstudents in Mississippi have had both recommended doses of measles vaccine, butonly 82% of Colorado children that age are fully vaccinated against measles,according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Article Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/05/measles-vaccine-immunization-health/22916079/

Image Source: https://s3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/LtU390Ao3bGnrlfXlpItMA/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/lifestyles/2015-01-19/44c2d7d0-9fe3-11e4-8cf4-3542112301d0_rexfeatures_918874ck.jpg

VOCABULARY WORDS:

1. Outbreak (n.) ~ sudden increase 

2. Skip (v.) ~ to miss oromit  

3. Resurgence (n.) ~ acontinuing after interruption  

4. Retract (v.) ~ to take back  

5. Sue (v.) ~ to initiate or pursue legalproceedings  

6. Controversy (n.) ~ a dispute, especiallya public one  

QUESTIONS FORDISCUSSION:

1. What is your stand on vaccination? Explainyour answer.  

2. In Australia, the prime minister just announcedthat parents who object to childhood vaccination will lose their childcare andfamily tax payments. What is your opinion on this matter?  

3. Is there a vaccination controversy inyour ｃountry? If yes, tell me about it.