A growing industry is helping people get out of getting vaccinated. Uh-oh.

The COVID-19 pandemic was not where the anti-vaccine movement began, but the tumult of those years and the often-heated public debates over vaccines and vaccine mandates seem to have shifted something dramatically in the United States. In this case, that's cause for alarm; as NPR reported last month, the current number of measles cases in the United States this year is the highest it's been in decades. And the New York Times chronicled an increase in pet owners deciding against getting their dogs and cats vaccinated.

Those aren't the only signs of an uptick in anti-vaccine beliefs. Undark recently published an article by Michael Schulson that explores the world of medical vaccine exemptions. There are some cases where this is warranted; allergic reactions to vaccines are real and can put some people at risk.

But there's a difference between working with a healthcare provider to find a way to address valid concerns and paying several hundred dollars for an all-encompassing, official-looking exemption from any and all required vaccines. The company Schulson discussed in the article, Frontline Health Advocates, appears to simultaneously be a healthcare provider and a religious ministry, at least from a legal perspective.

As for how successful Frontline's waivers have been at helping people opt out of required vaccinations, it isn't entirely clear. The Undark article describes a situation where certain states are more willing to accept the paperwork the company provides, while others -- California in particular -- are more resistant. That this industry exists at all feels like a concerning development in the world of public health.