It’s been more than 50 years since the measles vaccine was introduced in the United States, ending what had until then been an unpleasant part of growing up.
While most people recovered fully from the disease, measles also caused disability and death in some cases, so the introduction of the vaccine led to hopes it would ultimately be consigned to history.
Results were promising after the precursor to what is now known as the MMR vaccine was first licensed in 1963. Prior to the vaccine, an estimated 3 million to 4 million people contracted the disease annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the number of reported cases quickly plummeted, and in 2000 measles was declared eliminated in the United States.
Unfortunately, it’s making a comeback. More than 1,100 cases have been reported so far in 2019. While officials are reluctant to pinpoint a cause for the revival of measles in the United States, some studies link the rise in cases to the increase in the number of parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated over concerns over safety or religious beliefs, among other things. While most doctors and other scientists say the safety fears are unfounded, a small but meaningful number of people remain unvaccinated and, especially when they travel overseas, are more vulnerable to contracting measles.
This can create problems for employers. As we report on page 10, while on the surface there may be some obvious steps that employers can take to quickly expel measles from the workplace, it’s a much more complicated problem when you dig into it.
The most obvious problem is that the disease is extremely contagious and is easily transmitted, so once a sick employee enters the workplace, there’s a good chance that other workers will also be sickened if they are not vaccinated.
In addition, employers must be concerned about privacy issues should an employee report they have the disease — there are several laws limiting the extent to which employers can identify the cause of the contagion, which may cause them to refrain from raising the alarm too loudly.
Organizations are also limited in how they can respond from a medical standpoint. Mandating vaccinations, except in some health care settings, is effectively barred by employment laws, so other unvaccinated employees will remain exposed.
Employers also face financial liabilities. Workers comp claims, even though it’s difficult to link the contraction of the disease to a workplace, can follow from a measles outbreak.
There is no simple solution for employers on the issue, but it must start with informing employees early about the pros of vaccination and addressing the alleged cons. While it’s tough to overcome firmly held beliefs, employers have a duty to make workplaces safe for all workers.
