If you've been following local news, you already know measles is no longer a distant concern. Coconino County has confirmed multiple measles cases in 2026 alone, part of a broader outbreak that has spread across the Arizona-Utah border region and contributed to a nationwide case count that reached over 2,400 confirmed cases as of early August. At Davis Whole Family Health, we want our patients and families to understand not just that we recommend the MMR vaccine, but why. We also want to emphasize that the science around this vaccine is some of the most thoroughly studied and reassuring in all of modern medicine.
The MMR vaccine works & the data backs it up
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines we have. According to the CDC, two doses provide about 97% protection against measles, and even a single dose offers roughly 93% protection. That's an extraordinary level of effectiveness for a vaccine that's been in routine use for decades.
That effectiveness matters because measles itself is not a mild illness. On the contrary, it is one of the most contagious viruses known, capable of lingering in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves a room. Roughly 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to measles will become infected. About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people who contract measles in the U.S. are hospitalized with complications that can include pneumonia, encephalitis, and, in rare cases, permanent disability or death.
Addressing the autism question directly
We understand that there are lingering questions surrounding a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism. This concern traces back to a single, now-retracted 1998 study whose author lost his medical license after the research was found to be fraudulent. Since then, the question has been studied repeatedly, at massive scale, by independent researchers around the world.
The most definitive of these studies followed 657,461 children born in Denmark and found no increased risk of autism associated with MMR vaccination. This held true across the whole study population, across different post-vaccination time periods, and even among children considered to be at higher genetic risk for autism. An earlier Danish study of over 537,000 children reached the same conclusion. And more recently, a 2025 Danish study of more than one million children extended this reassurance further, finding no link between vaccine ingredients like aluminum and autism or 49 other health conditions.
In short, this question has been asked and answered, repeatedly, by some of the largest population studies in medical history. The MMR vaccine does not cause autism.
Why we follow American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidance
Pediatric and family medicine providers rely on recommendations that are grounded in continuously updated science. For 2026, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its routine immunization schedule, including the standard two-dose MMR series, the first dose at 12 to 15 months, the second at 4 to 6 years with broad endorsement from major physician organizations representing over a million healthcare professionals.
At Davis Whole Family Health, we continue to follow AAP guidance for our vaccine recommendations because it reflects rigorous, ongoing review of vaccine safety and effectiveness data, independent of shifting federal policy. When our care team recommends the MMR vaccine for a child or for an adult without documented immunity, we're doing so based on decades of consistent, high-quality evidence.
What's happening close to home
This isn't an abstract, far-away issue. Coconino County has recorded multiple confirmed measles cases in 2026, tied to an outbreak that has spread through the Arizona-Utah border region since last year. Statewide, Arizona's case count has climbed well past 2025 levels. Public exposure sites that include grocery stores, shopping malls, hospitals and schools, have already been identified right here in our region.
This is precisely the scenario that community immunity is designed to prevent. When vaccination coverage in a community stays above about 95%, the virus struggles to find enough susceptible people to sustain an outbreak, protecting those who can't be vaccinated themselves including infants too young for their first dose, pregnant individuals, and people who are immunocompromised. National kindergarten MMR coverage has slipped from 95.2% before the pandemic to 92.5% more recently. This gap is precisely why outbreaks like the one moving through our region are able to take hold.
Our recommendation
If you or your children are due for an MMR dose, or if you're unsure of your vaccination status, we encourage you to reach out to our office. Protecting your own family is important and, because of how contagious measles is, staying up to date also helps protect the most vulnerable members of our Northern Arizona community.
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Sources: CDC (Measles Vaccine Recommendations, Measles Cases and Outbreaks); American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 Immunization Schedule; Hviid et al., Annals of Internal Medicine (2019); Madsen et al., New England Journal of Medicine (2002); Statens Serum Institut (2025); Coconino County Health and Human Services.