Ignore Anti-Vaxx Fliers Says Maine CDC

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) is alerting residents that an anti-vaccination flyer is ‘fake-news.’ 

This alert says to be ‘advised that these flyers were not issued or endorsed by the Maine CDC or Federal CDC.’ 

The February 11, 2019 website alert says this flyer claims to outline a list of "known vaccine side effects" without citing any sources. 

Additionally, the Maine website said ‘CDC.org’ is not an active website. 

The fake-flyers are known to have been circulating through big-box retailers stores in Southern Maine, according to reporting by the PressHerald.

Maine’s CDC Director Dr. Bruce Bates said, "I encourage anyone who comes across one of these flyers to disregard it." 

The fliers appeared in response to a bill in the Maine Legislature that would end non-medical exemptions from childhood vaccinations. 

In Maine, current state law permits parents to skip vaccines for their children by signing a form opting out on philosophic and religious grounds. 

Medical opt-outs in Maine are extremely rare – only 0.3 percent of all vaccine opt-outs were for medical reasons, such as leukemia, according to state statistics.

Maine has experienced an increase in pertussis cases in 2018, from 410 in 2017 to 446, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

In 2017, Maine confirmed its 1st measles case in 20 years.