Anti-vaxxers’ gift to North Carolina: The worst chicken pox outbreak in two decades

In 1995, the chicken pox vaccine was introduced, but that important leap in science wasn’t enough to stop the worst outbreak of the disease North Carolina has seen in a long time — and it’s all thanks to people who hold some tremendous misgivings about the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

The Asheville Waldorf School in Asheville, N.C. now has a total of 36 children who’ve been infected with chicken pox, making it the worst outbreak the state has seen since the vaccine was made available to the public 23 years ago.

As The Washington Post points out, the school has become a stronghold for parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. In a statement to a local public radio station, the school seemed to be enabling the “choice” concept utilized by anti-vaxxers.

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Out of Asheville’s 152 students (who range from nursery school to the 6th grade), 110 have not been vaccinated for chicken pox, according to the Citizen Times. Given that fact, it’s logical to assume that these children haven’t been vaccinated for other illnesses. One way for parents to get around district vaccination requirements is to obtain religious exemptions, and Asheville had a lot of them. During the 2017-18 school year, 19 of 28 kindergartners obtained exemptions from at least one required vaccine.