There is no good reason for parents not to immunize their children. 

Childhood immunizations protect us all.  

It is simply irresponsible for parents to refuse immunizations. 

All the conspiracy theories and urban legends around immunizations are pure poppycock. 

To be fair, and accurate, there are a few — very few — medical exceptions for immunizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control. 

All states, including Georgia, allow for medical exemptions for vulnerable children that might be more susceptible to serious side effects or reactions. 

While those rare medical exceptions are understandable, allowances for philosophic or religious exemptions needlessly put other children at risk. 

Measles, previously considered eradicated, is on the rise across the country. 

There are now six confirmed cases in Georgia. 

There is no doubt that a failure to immunize is causing the outbreak. None of the 6 were vaccinated.

According to the CDC, from Jan. 1 to April 26, 704 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 22 states, the largest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

The CDC said measles cases have been reported in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and Washington.

And the CDC says there are basically two reasons the measles is making a comeback in the U.S. — (1) an increase in the number of travelers who get measles abroad and bring it into the U.S.; and (2) spread of measles in U.S. communities with pockets of unvaccinated people.

None of us live in a bubble and if families who refuse immunizations never came in contact with the rest of us then perhaps that would be their choice to make.  However, that is not the case and the selfish, uninformed decisions of a few are having a drastic impact on the rest of us. 

Science is not the friend of conspiracy theorists. 

There is no science whatsoever to support outlandish claims that vaccines are somehow related to infant mortality, autism or other conditions 

Here is what the science says: Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles. One dose is about 93 percent effective. Measles is very contagious. It spreads through coughs and sneezes. The MMR vaccine is proven effective, protecting against measles, mumps and rubella. 

The CDC recommends children get two doses of the MMR, the first dose at 12 through 15 months and the second dose at 4 through 6 years. Teenagers and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination, the CDC recommends. When pockets of the country or in specific communities refuse immunization the chances of an outbreak increase exponentially. 

Here is what’s at stake, the CDC says that before mass vaccinations in 1963, in the U..S. 3 to 4 million people got measles ever year. Around 400 to 500  of those infected died, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 developed encephalitis or swelling of the brain. 

Who wants to go back to those days? 

Medical exceptions are sensible, though rare. Georgia should change state policy and remove the religious exception. This issue has nothing to do with faith, religion or the Bible. It is all about public health. 

Immunizations are safe.

Everyone should be immunized.