Experts call Trump’s comments on vaccines dangerous, misleading

Controversial statements about vaccines by Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is angering some who call the statements false and dangerous.

It’s a sensitive topic in Colorado, where more children go without immunizations than kids in many other states. Colorado is fourth in the nation when it comes to the number of children who opt-out of immunizations.

In Wednesday night’s GOP debate, Trump linked vaccines to autism, saying an employee of his had a child who became autistic shortly after getting vaccinated around age 2.

Dr. Bill Letson, medical director at the El Paso County Health Department, told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that the notion that vaccines and autism might be linked has been disproven in many studies.

“I think it’s extremely unfortunate that people use that in a political context,” Letson said. “It’s not a valid association, and, in fact, the scientist that started all of this is now unlicensed in the UK.”

Letson stressed that high exemption rates translate into actual disease, particularly when it comes to pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.

“People who are completely unimmunized are far more likely to get diseases,” Letson said. “Both measles and whooping cough are still capable of killing people. They’re serious illnesses.”

Letson attributed the lower rate of immunization in Colorado to the fact that Colorado allows parents to claim a number of exemption factors, including medical, religious or philosophical.

Starting next year, parents who want to exercise the option of opting out of vaccines must fill out an exemption form every year instead of just once. The hope is that more parents will reconsider vaccination instead of not vaccinating out of convenience.