Walden says measles preventable if children vaccinated

The measles outbreak has gotten so bad it's now caught the attention of Congress.

Oregon's Greg Walden sits on the House Commerce Committee, which is holding hearings on the epidemic.

So far this year, 159 measles cases have been reported in 10 states. The bulk of those, of course, have been in Clark County.

Walden says that's a shame, because the disease is preventable if parents will just vaccinate their children.

“Unfortunately, the case information suggests the region near Portland has been an area of under-vaccination,” he said. “Most of these cases involve people who are not vaccinated and most of those infected were children between the ages of 1 and 10.”

One reason parents don't vaccinate their kids is out of fear over the side-effects.

One lawmaker asked a health expert about concerns the measles vaccine can lead to a swelling of the brain, known as encephalitis. He said it can, but only in rare cases.