The V.I. Department of Health mailed nearly 500 letters to parents who received vaccine exemptions for their children Friday, according to a statement released Saturday. With more than 1,000 cases documented on the mainland across 31 states, and 14 active outbreaks confirmed, local health officials urged unvaccinated families to reconsider.
More than 50 percent of Virgin Islands children under the age of 6 have not received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — dramatically higher than the mainland. More than 90 percent of children on the mainland have received the MMR vaccine by age 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“We are very concerned about measles reaching our shores, especially as individuals and families travel to and from the U.S. Virgin Islands for summer vacation,” Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said in a written statement. “This is a critical time to take preventative action.”
Roughly 96 percent of the mainland measles cases are unvaccinated people, and 30 percent are children under the age of 5. Three measles-related deaths have been reported – two children and one adult.
The letters sent out Friday strongly encouraged families to take immediate steps to protect their children by vaccinating them against measles, mumps, and rubella, Encarnacion said.
“Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, and unvaccinated children are at significant risk of becoming seriously ill if exposed,” Encarnacion wrote in the letter. “We are deeply concerned by the growing number of cases on the mainland and want to prevent a similar outbreak here in the Virgin Islands
The letter outlined measles infection dangers, including complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling or encephalitis, hearing loss, and even death. It emphasizes that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent protection against measles and is considered both safe and effective by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The three-in-one injection has been widely used since 1971.
Health officials stressed that unvaccinated individuals not only risk their own health, but also the well-being of vulnerable members of the community—such as infants under 1 year of age, individuals with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.
“Vaccination remains the best and most reliable defense we have,” Encarnacion said. “We’re asking parents to act now, not just for their children, but for the health of the entire community.”
The territory’s health officials have been warning for many years that the Virgin Islands, with the nation’s worst vaccination rate, is at high risk for measles.
