Even as the US measles “outbreak” has slowed, the vaccination debate rages on. It has become increasingly heated, at times inappropriate and oftentimes personal, as parents attack one another about their beliefs.

One of the “facts” commonly cited by vaccine supporters is that the non-vaccinated pose a risk to their communities. By choosing not to get their children vaccinated, parents are putting other children at risk of those diseases, particularly children who are not old enough or not able to get vaccinated.

Most likely you’ve seen this propaganda being circulated widely in the media. Some parents of children who are immunocompromised and therefore unable to receive the vaccines themselves, for instance, have targeted non-vaxing parents, calling them irresponsible and even killers.

It is sad to see so many lies and misinformation being spread, including those about herd immunity. Another important factor that isn’t widely appreciated is that recently vaccinated individuals may actually spread disease.

This is why, in the Johns Hopkins Patient Guide for immunocompromised patients, it makes no mention about avoiding non-vaccinated individuals… but it does mention avoiding “contact with children who are recently vaccinated.”

It also stated to “Tell friends and family who are sick, or have recently had a live vaccine (such as chicken pox, measles, rubella, intranasal influenza, polio, or smallpox) not to visit.1

At least, it used to state this. As of March 2015, the guide has been revised and this language has been removed, likely because of all the press it’s been receiving. Still, the fact remains that recently vaccinated individuals can and do spread disease.

Recently Vaccinated Individuals Can Spread Disease

Barbara Loe Fisher is the co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), a non-profit charity dedicated to preventing vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and defending the legal right for everyone to make vaccine choices.

She explains how you can shed live virus in body fluids whether you have a viral infection or have gotten a live attenuated viral vaccine:

“Live attenuated viral vaccines (LAV) that use live viruses try to, in essence, fool your immune system into believing that you’ve come into contact with a real virus, thereby stimulating the antibody response that, theoretically, will protect you,” she says.

 “When you get these live viral vaccines, you shed live virus in your body fluids. Just like when you get a viral infection, you shed live virus. That’s how viral infections are transmitted.

Because viruses, unlike bacteria, need a living host… in order to multiply. What these viruses do is they try to disable the immune system and evade immune responses.”

Barbara has compiled a special report, “The Emerging Risks of Live Virus and Viral Vectored Vaccines” containing over 200 references, which delves into virus shedding and vaccine virus shedding.

In it, she raises valid questions about whether or not scientists, public health officials, and vaccine manufacturers truly understand the impact live attenuated viral vaccines and vaccines using viruses as vaccine vectors, have on our immune function, genetic integrity, and the environment.