According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from January 1st to February 20th, 2015, 154 people from 17 states and Washington DC were reported to have measles, and most of those people were unvaccinated.
Actress Amanda Peet, who is very outspoken about the need to get kids vaccinated, was on Access Hollywood Live and talked about the controversy with hosts Billy Bush and Kit Hoover. “I’m just a concerned mom. Now that I have a newborn who’s too young to be vaccinated it really hit home for me. I think we sort of lost our sense of neighborliness. Even if it’s not about your child your neighbor could have an infant or somebody who’s immunity could be compromised…”
Photo Credit: Access Hollywood Live/Twitter
“What’s it going to take before we’re all in this together? Are we going to have to see infant mortality rates go up? That will be infuriating and so tragic,” Peet passionately plead, referring to the measles outbreak.
The mom-of-three admitted that because of her stance she got tons of hate mail, but that’s not stopping the 43-year-old from sharing her message. For eight years she’s been working with the non-profit health advocacy program, Every Child By Two, an organization that raises awareness of the importance of getting children fully immunized by the time they are two-years-old.
I’m glad to see someone with a big voice trying to bring some sense to this discussion. Not vaccinating your kids is not very smart. And it’s not just about “you and your kid” it’s about everyone else around you.