WASHINGTON—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Thomas Frieden, defended the safety of measles vaccines, saying children who aren’t vaccinated put their families and neighbors at risk.
“We’ve had over one billion vaccines given and study after study has shown that there are no negative long-term consequences,” Dr. Frieden said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “It’s a serious disease and it would be terrible if we have preventable illness, even death, from this disease that’s preventable with a safe and effective vaccine.”
His comments come amid an outbreak of about 100 measles cases originating at Disney theme parks in December, the CDC has said. The outbreak has been attributed to some parents who have opted out of the vaccinations for their children amid concerns about a possible link between vaccines and autism, which has been debunked by scientists. 
Dr. Frieden said most of the parents of kids who aren’t vaccinated don’t have strong feelings on the issue. “They’re just concerned that maybe measles isn’t around anymore or maybe their kid shouldn’t get one more shot,” he said.
Children who aren’t vaccinated put others at risk, he added, including kids who can’t be vaccinated and those who have immune problems.
“What you do for your own kids doesn’t just affect your family, it affects other families as well,” he said. 
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