There's a measles epidemic in Washington state and the governor there has declared a state of emergency. Think about that for a moment. Over 30 years ago, the CDC declared that measles had been eradicated in the USA. The country had gone for more than a year without a single case, all thanks to the measles vaccine that had been developed. Of course, that was before the anti-vaccine crazies started pushing the idea that vaccines cause autism and other maladies. There is no proof of any sort that the measles vaccine has any ill effects, and certainly no link between measles vaccine and autism. Indeed, most autistic children would display signs of autism before being old enough for their first dose of the measles vaccine, but that doesn't matter to the anti-vax crowd.
Because of the anti-vaccine movement, there are some areas where something like 5% or more of children do not get vaccinated. Most of these areas are in heavily liberal areas where there is a belief that the pharmaceutical companies would push harmful vaccines to make outrageous profits and that the government would lie to cover up wrongdoing by these companies. It's people who combine conspiracy theories, ignorance, and anti-capitalism to support their beliefs. Over time, this lack of vaccination means that a group of those who can contract the disease has been growing.
Lately, there has also been a batch of people trying to enter the US or who entered illegally who have been diagnosed with measles at the border. The problem is that measles is contagious during the period prior to there being any discernible symptoms. A sick individual could move through society for something like a week spreading the disease without even knowing that he or she was ill.
If you put together one sick individual who came from abroad and an area in which there are many who have not vaccinated their children, you have a recipe for an epidemic. That is what has happened in Washington. Measles has spread quickly among those who are not protected by the vaccine or by having had the disease in the past. (Measles is a disease which can only be contracted once.)
But here's the worst part of this. Measles is deadly to about 2% of children who contract the disease. There is no treatment once the disease has manifested symptoms; it just has to run its course. We know that so far there are over 30 cases in a small area of Washington. What we don't know is how many more people have been exposed to the disease and have caught it. Remember, measles does not require contact to spread. It travels through the air, so a sneeze by an infected person could actually lead to five or ten others getting sick. And we do know that some of those who now have the disease were at crowded places like an NBA game and the airport while they were contagious.
One has to wonder how many of these families who "protected" their children by refusing to get vaccinations for them will lose a child to this disease. Hopefully the answer will be none, but it is truly crazy that the anti-vax loons have taken this risk.
Because of the anti-vaccine movement, there are some areas where something like 5% or more of children do not get vaccinated. Most of these areas are in heavily liberal areas where there is a belief that the pharmaceutical companies would push harmful vaccines to make outrageous profits and that the government would lie to cover up wrongdoing by these companies. It's people who combine conspiracy theories, ignorance, and anti-capitalism to support their beliefs. Over time, this lack of vaccination means that a group of those who can contract the disease has been growing.
Lately, there has also been a batch of people trying to enter the US or who entered illegally who have been diagnosed with measles at the border. The problem is that measles is contagious during the period prior to there being any discernible symptoms. A sick individual could move through society for something like a week spreading the disease without even knowing that he or she was ill.
If you put together one sick individual who came from abroad and an area in which there are many who have not vaccinated their children, you have a recipe for an epidemic. That is what has happened in Washington. Measles has spread quickly among those who are not protected by the vaccine or by having had the disease in the past. (Measles is a disease which can only be contracted once.)
But here's the worst part of this. Measles is deadly to about 2% of children who contract the disease. There is no treatment once the disease has manifested symptoms; it just has to run its course. We know that so far there are over 30 cases in a small area of Washington. What we don't know is how many more people have been exposed to the disease and have caught it. Remember, measles does not require contact to spread. It travels through the air, so a sneeze by an infected person could actually lead to five or ten others getting sick. And we do know that some of those who now have the disease were at crowded places like an NBA game and the airport while they were contagious.
One has to wonder how many of these families who "protected" their children by refusing to get vaccinations for them will lose a child to this disease. Hopefully the answer will be none, but it is truly crazy that the anti-vax loons have taken this risk.
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