Broadcast date: 5/21/2015
Late last year, a large measles outbreak took the country off guard. At least 169 people from 20 states as well as the District of Columbia reported having the highly contagious viral disease. The outbreak reportedly originated when more than 40 victims who either worked or were visiting Disneyland were infected. Unfortunately the majority of people who contracted measles were unvaccinated. The CDC proposes the outbreak most likely started from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles, then visited the amusement park while infectious. Although measles was eliminated from this country in 2000, it is still common in many parts of the world including some countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa and travelers with measles continue to bring the disease into the U.S. and measles can spread when it reaches a community where groups of people are unvaccinated, like what we see happened at Disneyland.
How can we prevent future epidemics like the one we saw this past year? How protected is our local community against such an outbreak? What is the future of vaccines?
Join host Fred Munroe as he speaks with Dr. Pat Fidopiastis, Associate Professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the Biological Science Department, and Dr. Penny Borenstein, Public Health Officer with the County of San Luis Obispo as they discuss recent disease outbreaks, concerns over the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, current vaccination rates, the debate over changes to current vaccine legislation and current and future trends in vaccine research.
Central Coast Voices is sponsored by ACTION for Healthy Communities in collaboration with KCBX and made possible through underwriting by Joan Gellert-Sargen.
