MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) -- Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander has used his new position as Chairman of the Senate Health Committee to weigh in on the debate concerning Measles vaccinations.
Health officials say there are now 121 measles cases nationwide, all but 18 are tied to an outbreak that started at the Disneyland amusement park in California.
Until recently, it was unusual to see more than 100 measles cases a year in the United States. However, many parents now avoid getting their kids vaccinated, believing the shots themselves cause devastating illnesses.
Yesterday Senator Alexander convened a special hearing on the re-emergence of what he called “vaccine-preventable diseases.”
“The purpose of this hearing is to examine what is standing between healthy children and deadly diseases. It ought to be vaccinations, but too many parents are turning away from sound science. Sound science is this: Vaccines save lives.”
There are currently no cases of measles being reported in Tennessee. The State Department of Health says Tennessee saw 5 measles cases in 2014.