Because measles are so contagious, some doctors are starting to refuse to treat patients who remain unvaccinated. Doctors are saying that this step is necessary to protect unvaccinated children, as well as their own patients.

Since the measles outbreak started at Disneyland, there has been several clinics and doctor’s offices that had to close simple because an infected patient walked in. In fact, the city of Phoenix is now watching 1,000 people because this very thing occurred at a clinic where about 30 babies were present at the time.

Doctors are starting to use this “tough-love” approach because they want to cause parents to see how important it is to get their children vaccinated. They want to help parents change their minds. If nothing else, the doctors are saying, it should help protect patients who are visiting their offices.

The practice of dropping patients is not new, but it is not yet popular. The idea is growing, though, and it may lead some anti-vaccine people to have to find another doctor at a most inconvenient time.

One organization that is against the idea is the American Academy of Pediatrics. They recommend that doctors try to encourage the parents of unvaccinated children to get the vaccine. They also are advising doctors to not drop patients for this reason, but if the relationship becomes bad over the issue, then the doctor can recommend the patient see another doctor.

New measles cases are springing up every day. The virus is one of the most contagious diseases on earth. Just being in a room with someone who has the measles is enough to get infected with it if that person has not been vaccinated. Even after leaving a room, the virus can stay alive for another two hours.

Measles cases can now be found in 14 states. Besides California, it can be found in the western states of Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Washington. In the central U.S., there are cases in Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota and Texas. There are only two states in the eastern U.S., and that includes Pennsylvania and New York.

In each of the past measles outbreaks in the United States, the virus was first obtained from other countries and then brought here. The countries most notorious for spreading measles include the Philippines, Europe, Asia and Africa. Once the traveler is in the U.S., it has always started spreading among unvaccinated groups. Currently, there are 79 cases of the measles in California and all of them were unvaccinated.

The main issues with not getting children vaccinated are because some states give their residents the power to opt out if they want to. This can be for religious, philosophical, or personal reasons, and some even claim to have scientific reasons for not getting the vaccine. The so-called “evidence” that some claim that vaccines cause autism has been thoroughly debunked by many studies.

In most cases, getting the measles can be prevented if vaccinated. Understanding why this is important is best understood when it is realized that about 15 to 20 percent of the people who get infected will have to be hospitalized. On average, one to three people in 1,000 will die from the virus and other complications it causes.

After measles was thought to have been eradicated from the U.S. in 2000, there were not more than 200 cases annually until 2011. Last year, there were 644 cases, and it is too early to know how many there will be this year.