Measles misinformation is spreading in the U.S., and most aren’t sure what they believe, poll finds

Nearly two-thirds of adults have heard the false claim that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism, according to a new survey. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

As a measles outbreak centered in West Texas continues to grow, a new poll finds that a growing share of adults in the United States have heard false claims about the disease and the vaccine to prevent it – and many aren’t completely confident in their conviction.

Nearly two-thirds of adults have heard the false claim that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism, according to new poll data published Wednesday by KFF. About a third of adults have heard the false claim that the measles vaccine is more dangerous than the disease, nearly double the share from a year ago. And about a fifth of adults have heard the false claim that vitamin A prevents measles.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has shared each of these claims at some point, despite strong scientific evidence that they’re not true. Kennedy has a complicated history with the measles vaccine, only recently giving it a clear endorsement – and still pushing that it’s a “personal” choice.

About a quarter of adults incorrectly believe that the MMR vaccine is “definitely” or “probably” linked to autism, according to the KFF poll. About a quarter believe that vitamin A can prevent measles infections, despite caution from health officials about potential dangers. And about a fifth believe that getting the measles vaccine is more dangerous than becoming infected. These misconceptions were especially prevalent among Republicans and Hispanic adults.

Adults are more likely to say that these claims are “definitely false” than they are to say that they are “definitely true,” but a large share remain less than fully convinced.

At least half of adults fall into what KFF calls the “malleable middle,” expressing some level of uncertainty by saying that the false claims are either “probably true” or “probably false.”

Nearly 900 measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. this year, with more than half of states reporting at least one case, according to a CNN tally using data from state health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vast majority are related to a multistate outbreak concentrated West Texas, which has driven case counts to nearly the highest they’ve been since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. a quarter-century ago.

All but 3 per cent of cases in the U.S. so far this year have been reported in people who are not vaccinated, according to the CDC, as vaccination coverage among US schoolchildren continues to drop.

Parents in the new survey who tend to believe at least one of the false claims are more than twice as likely to have skipped or delayed some vaccines for their children, the KFF data shows. Nearly a quarter of parents who say that at least one of the false claims is “definitely” or “probably” true have delayed or skipped some childhood vaccines for their children, compared with 11 per cent of parents who say that all of the claims are “definitely” or “probably” false.

KFF data shows that less than half of parents are aware that measles cases are higher than average this year, and only about half of US adults are concerned about the ongoing outbreak.

The KFF data is based on a nationally representative sample of about 1,400 U.S. adults who were interviewed between April 8 and 15.

In that time, Kennedy announced the launch of a “massive testing and research effort” at HHS to determine the cause of the “autism epidemic,” promising some answers as early as September and pushing the claim that it’s caused by an environmental toxin.

Health experts, members of the autism community and others have vocally refuted claims of a link between vaccines and autism.

“Vaccines do not cause autism,” a group of leading autism advocacy organizations wrote in a joint statement Thursday. “Decades of scientific research have confirmed this. Public health messaging must reflect scientific consensus and protect all communities.”

By Deidre McPhillips, CNN