A new survey published in JAMA Network by researchers from Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that many pregnant women and new mothers are opting to delay or refuse vaccines for their children.
The survey found that one in three parents of children under age 5 say they intend to delay or refuse some or all of their children's recommended vaccines. Only about 4% of first-time pregnant women intend to delay or refuse all recommended vaccines.
However, the study showed that first-time pregnant women are far more uncertain about vaccination decisions. Nearly half of these women are unsure if they will fully vaccinate their children, compared to only 4% of parents of young children who stated they are uncertain.
About 40% of parents say they intend for their child to receive all recommended vaccines, while 20% plan to delay some vaccines. Over 30% of parents with young children intend to refuse some or all vaccines for their children.
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"Given the high decisional uncertainty during pregnancy about vaccinating children after birth, there may be value in intervening during pregnancy to proactively support families with childhood vaccination decisions," the study's authors wrote.
These new data come as many health officials express concerns about a growing number of measles cases in the U.S.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University, warned that measles could lose its status as an eliminated disease in the U.S. if the outbreak continues.
"It's affecting groups of children who've been withheld from vaccination," he said. "And this most contagious virus is taking advantage of that. It's spreading to all of these unvaccinated children, and it could continue to do that. And if it continues for more than a year, we will lose our status as having eliminated measles in the United States, which would be a great, unfortunate event, because we were the first to eliminate measles back in 2000."
Health officials continue to advocate for the MMR vaccine as the most effective means to combat the deadly and highly contagious virus. The shots are reported to be 97% effective in preventing illness and further spread of the disease. The CDC reported that only 8% of those with confirmed cases had a known measles vaccination.
Children are routinely vaccinated for measles at 12 to 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years of age—before entering kindergarten—but children as young as 6 months old can receive the measles vaccine if they are at risk.
