(WXYZ) — Three cities in metro Detroit are "hotspots" for vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, according to new research from the journal PLOS Medicine.
Published in June, the journal looked at the state of the anti-vaccine movement in the United States. Anti-vaxxers were just named one of the 10 threats to global health from the World Health Organization.
According to the journal, the number of "philosophical-belief" vaccine non medical exemptions (NMEs) since 2009 has risen in 12 states,.
The journal said that several "hotspot" metropolitan areas stand out for the very large number of NMEs. Locally, those include Troy, Warren and Detroit.
On top of that, the study found that Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties had more than 400 kindergartners with NMEs in 2016-17.
In November 2018, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed 15 cases of measles up to that point last year. It's the highest level the state had seen since 1994 when 26 cases were reported.
