Vaccines save lives. Vaccines are safe. We know this based on decades of science. Recommended vaccines must be tested, found safe and closely monitored. Safety testing begins as soon as a new vaccine is made, and evidence of safety is gathered for as long as it is in use. 

The fact that a vaccine-preventable illness is spreading is disheartening. This past month, another 72 cases of measles and two new outbreaks were confirmed, and Utah became the second state, after South Carolina, to report more than 100 measles cases so far in 2026.  We are not immune to this in Maine. We have recorded five cases of measles in Maine, with fears of more to come. 

Measles is one of the most highly contagious illnesses in the world. If exposed to measles, up to 90% of unvaccinated or non-immune close contacts will develop the disease. The virus that causes measles remains in the air for up to two hours, and roughly 20% of individuals who contract measles will require hospitalization. 

Vaccination is effective. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. More importantly, a community vaccination rate of 95% or more provides population immunity, which is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of a population becomes immune. 

We must protect ourselves and our communities. Let’s vaccinate our children against measles, and let’s keep Maine off the list of states where measles becomes the next epidemic we can avoid.

Brian Youth, MD, FAAP
President, Maine Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
Scarborough

Brendan Prast MD, MPH
Advocacy chair, Maine Academy of Family Physicians
Portland