Vaccine Refusal Increases Risk of Disease You're Refusing to be Vaccinated Against

OK, you may be incredulous, but startling new research shows: 

More than half of 1,416 measles cases reported in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000 were for people with no history of measles vaccination

That's right - If you haven't had a measles vaccine, you just might get measles!  I'm agog, agape, aghast!

Hmm, but now I really wonder about Pertussis (aka whooping cough) vaccines...

Among more than 10,000 pertussis patients with known vaccination status, 24 to 45 percent of people in the five largest statewide epidemics since 1977 were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

Aieeee!  I think I get it now.  No vaccination increases risk of getting the disease.  Is there more?

Omer and colleagues found that the majority of measles and pertussis cases in the outbreaks they analyzed were due to people intentionally skipping vaccinations.  ...  For the subset of pertussis reports from outbreaks with detailed data on unvaccinated individuals, 59 to 93 percent of cases were for people who intentionally skipped their inoculations

I was really hoping this astounding research was presented at a conference in an amazing place like Hawaii or Bermuda.  But all I can find is that it was published in the JAMA by lead researcher Dr. Saad Omer who can be congratulated for making it into News That Vexes by email here: somer@emory.edu