Pelico Urges CD4 Candidates to Publicly Support Immunizations

After the recent measles outbreak which originated at Disneyland in Anaheim, City Council candidate made this statement:  

"As a mother, my heart goes out to the over 100 people across the nation- many of whom are children- who have contracted measles. But the sad truth of this is that many, if not all, of the infections could have been easily avoided had those people been immunized. 

"Since the introduction of the modern measles vaccine in 1968, measles has been effectively eliminated from our country. In fact, in 2000, the CDC declared the United States to be ‘measles free', due in large part to a very successful vaccination program for school age children. 

"What we currently know about the Disneyland measles outbreak is that, of the 59 cases involving California residents, the California Department of Public Health has been able to confirm the vaccination status of 34 individuals who contracted the disease; of those, fully 82% were unvaccinated. 

"This cannot stand. The science is clear on this issue: we must immunize or risk public health falling decades behind. While there are certainly individuals who, for legitimate medical reasons, cannot be immunized (e.g. compromised immune systems, pre-existing conditions which would make one susceptible to even weak strains of a virus), those who are able to be immunized but refuse to do so are not only rejecting decades of undisputed modern science, they are putting others around them at risk.  

"This is not a political issue. And while Los Angeles cannot compel its citizens to get immunized, LAUSD currently requires all children to show proof of immunization before they can begin the school year. As public servants, I would invite all of my fellow candidates to publicly support immunizations as a show of unity that reaches beyond the campaign cycle and gets to the root of why we all want to serve: to make our city better for everyone."

 

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