MMR vaccine safety

Pennsyvlania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen expressed her deep sympathy for the families of those who died, while putting the deaths in context and urging residents to be get vaccinated.

“Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, people are not familiar with this disease and don’t fully understand the potential severity of the illness,” Bogen said in a statement. “We want to ensure every Pennsylvanian has the information they need to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities. As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles.”

While measles fatalities are rare—between one to three in 1,000 cases—the risk is demonstrably real. And in many more cases, the disease can be severe, leading to hospitalizations and complications, some of which can lead to hearing loss and intellectual disabilities. The virus also causes a rare but fatal neurological condition called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which typically strikes years after a child seemingly recovers from the infection.

Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—generally given at around 1 and 4 years of age, respectively—are 97 percent effective against the virus. The combination vaccine has proven safe in rigorous testing and over decades of global use in millions of children.

Still, anti-vaccine rhetoric, misinformation, and disinformation have shaken confidence in the vaccine, driving down vaccination rates. Some of that damaging discourse has come from Trump administration officials, most notably ardent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is currently the US health secretary. But President Trump has also contributed, falsely claiming in a White House press event two weeks ago that the MMR vaccine can be “quite lethal.” The MMR vaccine has never been linked to a death in a person with a competent immune system (it’s not recommended in those who are immunocompromised).