Measles Vaccine Has Saved 20 Million Lives Worldwide

The measles vaccine – as part of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine series – is a life saver, writes Marc Siegel, MD, for Fox News.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control reveal that the measles vaccine has saved the lives of more than 20 million people around the world since 2000.

Currently, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have mandatory requirements for the MMR vaccine for children before they are allowed to attend public school kindergarten. This is as it should be.

But unfortunately, these requirements are not always strictly enforced, are too easy to avoid for religious, medical, or personal reasons, and may not extend to all private or parochial schools.<