The propaganda surrounding COVID vaccines has led to parental uncertainty about other vaccines. This may explain recent measles outbreaks. For most of us, measles is a childhood disease that was conquered by scientists many years ago. But it’s returning.
This year is not yet one-third over, yet measles cases in the United States are on track to be the worst since a massive outbreak in 2019. At the same time, anti-vaccine activists are recklessly sowing doubts and encouraging vaccine hesitancy. Parents who leave their children unvaccinated are risking not only their health but also the well-being of those around them.
Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses — more so than the coronavirus — and is spread through direct or airborne contact when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. The virus can hang in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left an area. It can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and death, especially in unvaccinated people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person infected with measles can infect 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals with whom they come in close contact.
But measles can be prevented with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; two doses are 97 percent effective. When 95 percent or more of a community is vaccinated, herd immunity protects the whole. Unfortunately, vaccination rates are falling. The global vaccine coverage rate of the first dose, at 83 percent, and second dose, at 74 percent, are well under the 95 percent level. Vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners has slipped from 95.2 percent during the 2019-2020 school year to 93.1 percent in the 2022-2023 school year, according to the CDC, leaving approximately 250,000 kindergartners at risk each year over the past three years.
Florida and Illinois have had a surge in measles cases. The Surgeon General of Florida, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, ignored standard practice and told parents to make their own decisions about whether to keep their unvaccinated child home to avoid getting the disease.
Another source of misinformation is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s organization:
Vaccine hesitancy is being encouraged by activists who warn of government coercion, using social media to amplify irresponsible claims. An article published March 20 on the website of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense organization is headlined, “Be Very Afraid? CDC, Big Media Drum Up Fear of ‘Deadly’ Measles Outbreaks.”
The author, Alan Cassels, claims that the news media is advancing a “a fear-mongering narrative,” and adds, “Those of us born before 1970 with personal experience pretty much all agree that measles is a big ‘meh.’ We all had it ourselves and so did our brothers, sisters and school friends. We also had chicken pox and mumps and typically got a few days off school. The only side effect of those diseases was that my mom sighed heavily and called work to say she had to stay home to look after a kid with spots.”
Today, he adds, “Big media and government overhyping the nature of an illness, which history has shown us can be a precursor to some very bad public health policies such as mandatory vaccination programs and other coercive measures.”
This is just wrong. The CDC reports that, in the decade before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, the disease killed 400 to 500 people, hospitalized 48,000 and gave 1,000 people encephalitis in the United States every year — and that was just among reported cases. The elimination of measles in the United States in 2000, driven by a safe and effective vaccine, was a major public health success. Although the elimination status still holds, the U.S. situation has deteriorated. The nation has been below 95 percent two-dose coverage for three consecutive years, and 12 states and the District below 90 percent. At the same time, the rest of the world must also strive to boost childhood vaccination rates, which slid backward during the covid-19 pandemic. According to the WHO, low-income countries — with the highest risk of death from measles — continue to have the lowest vaccination rates, only 66 percent.
I will not be surprised if one day we learn that Putin is somehow behind this anti vaccine movement. I think Putin will try anything to destroy the United States and end democracy around the world.
That was what I was thinking as I read this post. The anti vax movement is so insane, it would make more sense if it was a plot of some kind to see out and influence idiots to be idiots.
I advocate that all people be vaccinated against measles and other childhood diseases which are much worse in their effects if contracted as adults. I personally know a few people who are anti-vax even for those long-established, very safe vaccines: total nuts.
But there is another source of measles contagion which this blog won’t want to admit: the large number of unvaccinated people who have entered via the deliberately unprotected southern border. This is a scientific fact that public health authorities have admitted, albeitronly after it has been dragged out of them. As for every other issue these days, the preferred narrative is more important than reality.
I personally know a few people who are anti-vax even for those long-established, very safe vaccines: total nuts.
Me, too, alas. And I concur with your assessment.
Kent,
You can’t blame the Florida measles outbreak on illegal migrants. The state has very punitive laws to keep them out and prevent them from working. From what I’ve read, the measles have occurred among school-age children, non-migrant.
Kent offers up two phony baloney premises: quote- But there is another source of measles contagion which this blog won’t want to admit: the large number of unvaccinated people who have entered via the deliberately unprotected southern border. end quote
He assumes that a large number of unvaccinated people have entered the country? Really? Where’s your documentation for that?
Then he assumes that this blog won’t admit to his rubbish premise. When false assumptions are made about this blog, then I smell a troll in disguise.
Oh wait, there’s another false statement: he claims that the border is deliberately unprotected. That sounds like a stale jejune Donald Trumpism.
It is astonishing how much utter bs about immigration makes the rounds of the Reich-wing memosphere. This business about the hordes of unvaccinated immigrants is an example.
What the new vaccination criteria for U.S. immigration?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations require that all immigrant applicants receive a medical exam. During the exam, applicants are required to show proof that they have received certain vaccines. If an applicant does not have proof of having received the required vaccines, the law states that the vaccines must be given at the time of the medical exam.
What vaccines are required for U.S. immigration?
Vaccines for these diseases are currently required for U.S. immigration:
How long do the vaccines last? If you were vaccinated as a child, are you still good?
Different ones last for different amounts of time.
The duration of immunity provided by vaccines can vary greatly depending on the type of vaccine. For instance, some vaccines, like those for measles or polio, can provide protection that lasts a lifetime with just a few doses. Others, such as tetanus shots, require regular boosters to maintain immunity.
Specifically for COVID-19 vaccines, research indicates that the immunity they offer lasts for several months but is not permanent. Most studies suggest that protection from COVID-19 vaccines like those offered by Pfizer and Moderna lasts around 4-6 months, after which one needs a booster.
It’s important to note that these figures are based on ongoing research, and as scientists continue to study the vaccines, recommendations for booster shots and the duration of immunity may change. For the most current information, it’s best to consult health authorities or medical professionals.
For measles, if you were vaccinated or ever had measles then you’re immune. If in doubt, it’s a simple blood test, a titre I think they call it.
Thanks, Jon
At 70 years of age, I still remember how miserable I was when I had the measles. I was in second grade at the time. I remember being sensitive to light that I missed my school carnival (I have three sisters and I still recollect hearing them when they came home from that carnival.
On can read about measles and the scary, sometimes deadly complications that can occur when they strike here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/measles-the-forgotten-killer-2019052316683
It’s simple to control – get your kids and yourself vaccinated.