VACCINATION RATES
Below are the rates of children 19-35 months old that have received at least one MMR vaccine in all northern-lower Michigan counties. They’ve been grouped by health department jurisdiction. Experts say 95% of a population must be vaccinated in order to claim herd immunity.
Grand Traverse County Health Department:
Grand Traverse County 79.9%
Benzie-Leelau Health Department:
Leelanau 73%
Benzie 81%
Health Department of Northwest Michigan:
Charlevoix 76%
Emmet 79%
Antrim 79%
Otsego 79%
District Health Department #4:
Alpena 83%
Cheboygan 75%
Montmorency 72%
Presque Isle 77%
District Health Department #10:
Crawford 78.9%
Wexford 87.2%
Oceana 69.5%
Manistee 67.7%
Mason 73.9%
Mecosta 83.2%
Newaygo 79.2%
Missaukee 76.4%
Lake 71.6%
Kalkaska 79.4%
District Health Department #2
Alcona 82%
Iosco 77.2%
Ogemaw 77.8%
Oscoda 52.8%
The first measles case in Michigan this year was confirmed in Oakland County on Friday. Officials continue to monitor the case and others who may have been exposed.
But public health officials in northern Michigan say low vaccination rates in some counties are causing real concern for a measles outbreak if the virus makes its way to the region.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), measles is “so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people of all ages around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected.” The disease causes high fevers and rashes to form on the skin and can lead to other health issues like pneumonia, blindness and brain swelling.
Thanks to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the disease was considered eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning “the absence of the continuous spread of disease was greater than 12 months.”
The MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing measles. Children typically receive two shots to be fully immunized — once when they’re 12 to 15 months old and another when they’re 4 to 6 years old.
But experts, like Dr. Joshua Meyerson, said due to declining childhood vaccination rates, the disease is on the rise.
Meyerson serves as medical director for three health departments in northern Michigan. Combined, these departments serve Benzie, Leelanau, Charlevoix, Antrim, Emmet, Otsego, Alpena, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, and Montmorency counties.
Meanwhile, measles outbreaks continue to hit communities in West Texas and New Mexico. Two people have died from the disease and nearly 300 more cases are being reported.
“When you look at those 19 to 35 month olds or 24 to 48 month olds in [northern Michigan counties], they’re no better, unfortunately, than the rates that are in the counties in Texas and New Mexico that are having an outbreak,” Meyerson said. “So, that tells you that we are just as vulnerable as those places that are having ongoing spread.”
For comparison, in Gaines County, Texas, where much of the outbreak is centered, about 82% of kindergarteners are vaccinated. Many places in northern Michigan are below that.
Officials are also keeping watch on a measles outbreak in southwestern Ontario in areas near the border to Detroit. According to a report from Public Health Ontario, as of last week, 372 cases have been reported across 11 public health units since October.
“That's not getting as much news,” Meyerson said. “But that's another area that has me and other public health providers in Michigan concerned.”
Childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic as more parents claim exemptions for their kids from getting required shots.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called the decision to get vaccinated “a personal one.” The federal government’s messaging about the outbreak seems to be putting more emphasis on treatments like vitamin A than on vaccination.
Because measles is so contagious, 95% of a population needs to be fully vaccinated against the disease in order to claim herd immunity.
Scott Izzo is an epidemiologist and the community health director for District Health Department #2 which encompasses Alcona, Iosco, Ogema and Oscoda counties.
He said northern Michigan residents can set up appointments to receive an MMR vaccine with their local health department. Older individuals may want to consider getting a booster shot if measles cases start popping up in the region.
About one in five people who contract measles will end up hospitalized, Izzo said. Because there’s no specific treatment for measles, experts say preventative measures like vaccines are the most effective way to combat the disease.
“These individuals and communities don't have the same memory of what measles is and what it can do to people,” Izzo said. “I really feel that the best thing that we can do is educate the public, give them the information that they need.”
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