Measles Vaccine Debate Hot Topic For Doctors Express Urgent Care Docs

Three local urgent care doctors are speaking out on the debate over whether parents should vaccinate their children, as well as the benefits of the MMR vaccine, since the most recent outbreak of measles in California this past December. Over 100 cases of measles have been reported across 14 states so far this year, believed to have stemmed from this one incident.

Measles is believed to be spreading due to a growing trend of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, which has sparked a debate: to vaccinate or not to vaccinate.

Both Dr. Thomas Brown, Medical Director at Doctors Express Urgent Care in Danbury and West Hartford, Dr. David Lauren, Medical Director at Doctors Express Stamford, as well as Dr. Michael Tugetman, Medical Director at Doctors Express Hartsdale and the Bronx, say measles is a virus that can be easily prevented with the MMR – measles, mumps, rubella – vaccine.

The recent outbreak has urged area urgent care doctors to address the dangers of not vaccinating their children.

While these general practitioners say they respect  that parents may have differing views on vaccines, they stand firm and united on the power of medicine and science when it comes to vaccinating.

Brown says: “The data is extremely robust that vaccines are especially effective at preventing various communicable diseases. Not much in the way of opinions here. This is fact. Vaccines are one of our greatest medical achievements to date. We need only to look back several decades in this country to see the horrors created by polio. On a smaller scale, several hundred people died of measles annually and if we go back to the 1900-1945 time range, it was tuberculosis (notheart disease or stroke) that was the number one killer of adults in the US.

Unvaccinated children are at greatly increased risk for getting ill (and therefore using limited healthcare resources) and more importantly for getting other children sick (perhaps those that for genuine medical reasons haven’t been vaccinated), thereby contributing to epidemics and the medical, psychological, and financial effects of such epidemics. “

The fear for many anti vaccine proponents is that use of the vaccine has led to an increase in autism throughout the years. Dr. Tugetman said that a statement released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) stated there is no definitive connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.

However, because celebrities have gotten on board the anti-vaccine movement and not vaccinating children has become a trend, more children are being exposed to the virus.

Measles comes with symptoms such as high fever, cough, red watery eyes, and a characteristic rash that starts at the head and goes down to the feet. Unfortunately, it can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis, brain damage, and even death.

Tugetman says “When you have an outbreak like this, if you don’t have immunity, you’re susceptible, and it spreads very quickly. By 2000, measles was considered an eradicated disease in the U.S.  We weren’t seeing it because we’re doing a good job with vaccination education. The MMR vaccine is a very important vaccine to get. Our goal is to prevent the unnecessary and often grave illness and suffering that these patients are dealing with.”

Tugetman continues: After all is said and done, the use of vaccines in young children and adults have been responsible for the eradication of disease and the prevention of countless numbers of morbidity and mortality not to mention the saving of billions of dollars in lost wages, doctor visits, emergency room visits and hospital stays.  Ask the Anti-Vaccine folks if they are willing to pay the bill for those savings. “

Dr. David Lauren confirms “ I wholeheartedly agree. It is extremely important to vaccinate against MMR.”

Doctors Express Urgent Care is also committed to educating the public about current, real-time health issues and communicative viruses, reaching out via email blasts, and social media like Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook with community health alerts.

They also produce an ongoing video series called “The Doctors Express Medical Minute” on their YouTube Channel, for health alerts and prevention tips, such as flu warnings or seasonal health issues. Doctors Express providers address common ailments and preventative tactics people can use to self- manage their health issues between doctor appointments, and in some cases to prevent seeing a doctor.

About Doctors Express Hartsdale

About AFC/ Doctors Express Urgent Care:
Doctors Express Urgent Care provides state-of-the-art treatment for acute illness, trauma (including minor surgical procedures) and has on-site laboratory and digital x-ray service as well. Pre-employment physicals, drug screening, DOT exams and treatment of work related injuries are also available to local employers. Doctors Express Urgent Care is located at 359 N. Central Avenue, Hartsdale, NY with a new center to open at 843 Hutchison River Parkway, Bronx, NY. The new center hours will be Monday-Friday from 8am-10pm and Saturday & Sunday from 8 am-8 pm. There will always be a board certified physician on site. There are additional locations in Danbury, Bridgeport, West Hartford and Stamford CT. Doctors Express will accept most insurances including many of the Affordable Care Act exchange plans. visit their website at https://DoctorsExpressHartsdale.com.