The Senate hearing comes as 68 people have contracted measles in the Pacific Northwest, the Associated Press reported. Oregon and Washington state allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for personal or philosophical reasons, and the region is home to a particularly vocal concentration of parents who choose not to get their children vaccinated. Washington state is hoping to pass a bill to narrow the exemptions for vaccines but is facing opposition from "anti-vaxxers," who believe in a debunked conspiracy theory that vaccines cause health conditions such as autism.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 05, 2019 16:41 UTC