Dr. Paul Offit on Measles Outbreak: ‘No Vaccine Is 100 Percent Effective’

EXCERPT:

OFFIT: “You know, I was in Philadelphia in 1991 where we had 1,400 cases and nine deaths, again centering on two religious groups that were under- vaccinated. We had an outbreak in Brooklyn in 2018, 2019. There was again an under-vaccinated community. There were 650 cases in California in 2014, 2015. An under-vaccinated community in southern California, it spread to seven states, spread to Canada, spread to Mexico. So it’s a highly contagious virus. It’s the most contagious virus. And I think when you’re unvaccinated, it’s a problem. Another thing that’s interesting, you’re actually better off being unvaccinated, living in a highly vaccinated community than being vaccinated, living in a highly unvaccinated community. So when you say that there are a handful of people who, despite being vaccinated, are or have become infected, that’s because no vaccine is 100 percent effective. And when you have a highly unvaccinated community like this one, then you’re more likely to be exposed and more likely to get sick.”