We are concerned about the high number of confirmed cases of measles in Michigan this year.

As of this week, officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said 15 confirmed cases of measles have occurred in 2018 in the state — the highest number since 1994, when 26 cases occurred.

The number of measles cases in the U.S. this year is 142 as of the first of week of October.

What is disturbing to us is that these numbers need not be the case. Two simple vaccinations protect children (who are most at risk). Adults who never were vaccinated need only one vaccine.

As we have shared before in this space, we respect the philosophical, political or spiritual arguments against vaccination by parents. However, we believe the medical community has successfully presented sound reasons for vaccination, and ultimately we believe the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to risking children’s health.

For instance, information at ProCon.org says that officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe vaccinations saved 732,000 children from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 because of vaccination.

Measles is a nasty disease that makes life uncomfortable. In some instances, the disease also can be fatal.

We urge vaccinating your children to protect them against this disease.

Let’s eliminate measles in Michigan in 2019.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)