As Disease Outbreaks Increase, Kentucky Grapples With Vaccine Awareness

In an update two weeks ago, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the recent measles outbreak has led to the most cases of the disease since 2000. Before 1963, in the decade before the measles vaccination was created, an estimated three to four million people were infected, and about 400 to 500 people died of the disease each year. But there's still some push-back against not only the measles vaccine, but vaccines in general. Opponents sometimes cite religious reasons or debunked studies linking vaccinations to autism as reasons not to be vaccinated. We discussed the outbreaks and the science on WFPL's In Conversation. Our guests included: Cameual Wright, Caresource Medical Director Jeff Howard, State Health Commissioner Dawn Balcom, University of Louisville Family Nurse Practitioner