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Disturbing map shows disease outbreaks ‘caused by anti-vaxxers’ around the world

Anti-vaxxers are behind new outbreaks of disease, research finds
Anti-vaxxers are behind new outbreaks of disease, research finds

Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children in the wrong belief that vaccines are linked to autism are contributing to outbreaks of preventable illnesses around the world.

The Vaccine Alliance hosts an interactive map which shows outbreaks of preventable diseases around the world from 2008 and 2017, based on previous work by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Vaccinated people can catch diseases such as measles, but vaccination dramatically lowers the risk.

Every year, 1.5 million children around the world die from diseases which can be prevented with vaccines – and so-called ‘anti-vaxxers’ contribute to this.

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‘Anti-vaxxers’ refuse to immunise children, in the (mistaken) belief that vaccines cause conditions such as autism.

Previous research in America suggested that a rise in measles cases may be due to ‘anti-vaxxers’.

Researchers analysed 1,789 cases of measles in America between 2001 and 2015 – and found that 70% of those who contracted the illness were unvaccinated.

The number of measles cases has grown from 0.28 cases per million people in 2001 to 0.56 cases per million in 2015, the researchers say.