Though only a handful of measles cases have been reported in Tennessee, state and local health officials are understandably concerned about the possibility of the virus spreading elsewhere.

The cases in Tennessee involved four unimmunized north Mississippi residents.

Public Health District 7 immunization nurse Martie Herrington said since the exposed residents were quarantined in north Mississippi, Lincoln County and District 7 are staying on high alert for any residents who present signs of the virus.

“We’re about to have a conference for the whole state, where we are partnering with Tennessee and Alabama to come up with a plan for the outbreak,” Herrington said. “We have alerted all of the health care workers of the outbreak. Right now, we are doing surveillance every day. We have nurses that call the hospitals to check for anything out of the ordinary. Our monitoring protocol is the same as the flu. We are just trying to be on the look out.”

Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease that easily spreads from person to person. Those who haven’t been vaccinated are especially at risk. So are infants and those with weak immune systems.

Before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. That number dropped to 115,000 globally last year, thanks to vaccinations.

“The best way to prevent an outbreak of measles is to immunize your children,” Herrington said. “Parents don’t realize that children can die of measles. People can die of measles. We have not had an outbreak in a long time because of vaccinations.”

Unfortunately, some parents refuse to have their children vaccinated. Some believe that vaccines are dangerous. Some simply don’t care enough to get their children vaccinated. And others object to vaccines for “conscientious beliefs.”

Thankfully, Mississippi has one of the country’s strongest vaccination laws. An effort to weaken that law died in committee this past legislative session. Mississippi rarely sets a good example on health matters, but vaccines is one area where we shine.

The current measles scare underscores just how important vaccines are. Parents who choose not to vaccinate not only put their children at risk, they endanger the lives of those around them.