While the recent
measles outbreak in California has placed a lot of blame on parents who have chosen not to vaccinate their children, health policy expert Betsy McCaughey says the federal government also bears some responsibility.
"Our federal government is not taking any responsibility at all for preventing people who are carrying measles from entering the country," McCaughey, former New York lieutenant governor, told J.D. Hayworth on "America's Forum" on
Newsmax TV Monday.
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"The first thing we have to do is be much more rigorous about who comes into this country," she said.
"Other countries erect barriers and say, 'if you want to come into our country you must have the following [vaccine] shots,'" McCaughey said.
"The United States should be saying to parents all over the world, 'if you want to bring your children here to Disneyland, make sure that they have been adequately vaccinated for mumps, measles, and rubella. Period,'" she added.
However, the other problem, the former New York lieutenant governor said, comes when Americans travel abroad.
"There were some outbreaks in Ohio and Pennsylvania when Amish missionaries went to the Philippines, were exposed to measles there, and brought it back," she said.
She says that when Americans are traveling abroad, that they need to "be aware of the countries where measles is still prevalent."
As for those parents who may be afraid to give this vaccine to their children, McCaughey says that "there is no evidence that this [measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR] vaccine is dangerous to children," she said.
"But we know measles is really dangerous."
"One out of every 1,000 cases results in death, and even when it doesn't result in death, it can result in very serious illnesses — pneumonia, encephalitis," McCaughey said. "So we want to make sure that children are vaccinated against measles."
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