"The COVID-19 pandemic was not where the anti-vaccine movement began, but the tumult of those years and the often-heated public debates over vaccines and vaccine mandates seem to have shifted something dramatically in the United States. In this case, that's cause for alarm; as NPR reported last month, the current number of measles cases in the United States this year is the highest it's been in decades."
"Those aren't the only signs of an uptick in anti-vaccine beliefs. Undark recently published an article by Michael Schulson that explores the world of medical vaccine exemptions. There are some cases where this is warranted; allergic reactions to vaccines are real and can put some people at risk.But there's a difference between working with a healthcare provider to find a way to address valid concerns and paying several hundred dollars for an all-encompassing, official-looking exemption from any and all required vaccines."
Pandemic-era turmoil and heated vaccine debates increased anti-vaccine sentiment across the United States, coinciding with a spike in measles cases and more pet owners skipping vaccinations. Legitimate medical exemptions exist for risks such as allergic reactions, but a paid industry now sells broad, official-looking exemptions that enable people to opt out of required vaccines. One company, Frontline Health Advocates, appears legally to operate as both a healthcare provider and a religious ministry. States vary in accepting these waivers, with some accepting the paperwork while others, notably California, resist, posing public-health concerns.
Read at InsideHook
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