In A Measles Outbreak, Demand For Vaccine Spikes

More than 50 people have now been infected by the measles in an outbreak across southwest Washington state and northwest Oregon, and doctors and nurses say it's spurring people to get vaccinated.

At Sea Mar Community Health Center in Vancouver, Wash., administrator Shawn Brannan says that so many have been coming in for a measles shot recently that they had to order almost 10 times as much vaccine as usual.

"Larger populations that typically don't vaccinate their children for their own reasons are now in a mad dash, if you will, to get vaccinated," says Brannan.

He said many patients are from the former Soviet Union, where distrust of government runs deep.

But he says the clinic is also getting lots of other patients with their own reasons not to vaccinate.

"It's the Google monster, unfortunately," says Brannan. "Once people Google, they find all these warnings and adverse reactions. And it can sometimes blur what's really important for the child or even people to get."