I remember having measles as a kid. Believe me, it was no fun. Also, measles could cause birth defects if a pregnant women got infected. If you were elderly, measles could be fatal.

Eventually, after vaccinations became nearly universal in America, measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000.

But now the measles are back – already surpassing 700 cases this year, in 22 states. What happened? We stopped vaccinating everyone. More than 500 of the new cases are in people who had not been vaccinated.

Last Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention renewed an urgent call for parents to have their children vaccinated.

… there’s zero evidence linking measles vaccine to autism

We stopped vaccinating all children because some parents have had religious objections. Others haven’t liked the idea of injecting a live virus into their little ones. Some just never got around to it.

And some parents – succumbing to growing scepticism about science and burgeoning conspiracy theories – believe vaccinations cause autism. The claim has been promoted by Russian internet trolls as well as Donald Trump.

In reality there’s zero evidence connecting measles vaccine to autism.

Let’s be clear. To eradicate measles – and other dread diseases such as tuberculosis, polio and tetanus (which also protects from whooping cough and diphtheria) – parents must have their children vaccinated.