The certain cause of no ill effects: State’s strong immunization laws keeping our children safe from measles outbreaks

It looks to be a case of the most compelling evidence for establishing cause and effect.
It’s key principle, that is, is proving that the effects happened after the cause.
In what is far from an experiment, as a result of West Virginia’s strong immunization laws there were zero confirmed cases of measles in our state in the past decade.
Scientists have proven again and again that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is safe, despite claims to the contrary. Yet, those baseless myths and  conspiracy theories are fueling a serious rise in measles nationwide.
West Virginia is only one of a handful of states that requires all children who attend public schools or a state-regulated child-care center to be vaccinated
Though state regulations do provide for medical exemptions a medical professional and the state Bureau of Public Health must approve. But there is no provision for religious or philosophical exemptions.
Meanwhile, in states that do allow for such exemptions outbreaks of measles have affected hundreds.
We should clarify, this public-health crisis in those states is affecting one of the most worrisome age demographics — children.
No,  adults are not immune to becoming infected, but measles most often affects children.
Which explains why doctors’ No. 1 recommendation to parents is to vaccinate their children.
The current rash (no pun intended) of measles outbreaks  is now the second-highest number of cases in the nation since the disease was declared eradicated in 2000.
The highest number of reported cases since elimination was 667 in 2014. The current number of reported cases was 465 Wednesday with more than eight months to go in 2019.
In recent years there were several attempts to change West Virginia’s immunization laws in the Legislature, including this year.
Legislators have continued to spurn those bills and allow them to languish in committees. We urge them to continue doing so in the future.
It’s playing with fire to let students attend school without the required vaccines.
Besides being highly contagious, measles is a potentially deadly infection that can be spread through the air or when a person comes into contact with or shares germs by touching the same object or surfaces.
Public health departments have demonstrated timelines that show how an infected person can expose thousands of others to measles in a week’s time.
The evidence keeps piling up that West Virginia is smart to enforce its laws on vaccinations and allow for few exemptions.
Think of it as one more reason our state should heed science and never compromise its immunization laws.