More Measles Outbreaks
The news and other media are often quick to over-hype any problems with vaccines, whether they have been proven or not. They will even parade celebrity 'experts' on their shows, who may influence a parent's decision on whether or not to influence their own kids, even though the experts have no expertise in pediatric infectious disease. They also have no research to predict what the consequences will be if more parents follow their recommendations to stop or delay vaccinating their children.
If the media were as quick to publicize some of these possible consequences, we may already know what is happening. But few parents are aware of the many current measles outbreaks we are facing.
In addition to the recent California measles outbreak, there are cases of measles in:
- Pima County Arizona, which has been traced to a 37 year old woman visiting from Switzerland, and has spread to 11 people.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which has only involved 4 people so far, but exposed people are still within the incubation period, so cases may spread.
- Los Angeles County, where an unimmunized preschool child was recently hospitalized with measles.
- New York City, which has had 10 cases of measles already this year, most thought to be linked to a measles outbreak in Israel.
- Virginia, where 1 case of measles has been linked to a measles outbreak in India.
- Michigan, where 2 unvaccinated siblings likely were exposed to measles from an international traveler at an airport in Atlanta.
Following declining levels of measles cases to 42 in 2007, we have already had 15 cases in 2008. And since there are currently large outbreaks in India, Israel, Switzerland, and other countries in Europe, it is likely that we will continue to see more cases of measles this year.
And if vaccination rates drop, we may see even more cases of measles and other vaccine preventable ilnesses.
Related:
CDC Measles Health Advisory
Measles Picture
The Vaccine Debate
Herd Immunity
Comments
As a measles survivor, I don’t get what the big deal is. In 1962 my entire school was out with the measles. We had to stay home for 4 days and that was that. We are all now immune for life. Todays children who recieve 36 vaccines by age 2 are the sickest kids I have ever seen. It was recently reported that 31% of U.S. children suffer from a chronic health condition. My nephew suffers from seizures, ADHD, no-language and much more. His parents say this all started two days after his MMR vaccine. Also, has this vaccine made the measles virus more serious than what it used to be? Are we really talking about the same measles me and my entire town had?
I don’t get what the big deal is. In 1962 my entire school was out with the measles.
Were they really all out with the measles, or did many have the measles and others were out because of a quarantine?
How many kids were in your school?
The death rate from measles is about 1 to 3 out of a 1000 cases, so it is not surprising that a single school might not have a death or serious complication.
On the other hand, an average of 450 people, mostly children, would die each year from measles each year in the 50’s and early 60’s before the measles vaccine was introduced.
And it is still the leading vaccine preventable infection that kills children around the world and the 5th leading cause of death, since many parts of the world don’t have the luxury of a vaccine.
There has been a lot of talk lately about these alleged links between vaccinations and conditions like autism. It is doing a real disservice to people out there who are willing to believe in these conspiracies. People have become so self absorbed that they think they know more about vaccines than doctors. These people think they are free thinkers because they opened up a newspaper or saw a story on the evening news. The sad part is that mainstream media is so tainted they have justified not giving children the basic protection from preventable diseases. The fact of the matter is that the claimed risk of autism is much less likely than catching a dangerous or potentially fatal disease from not being vaccinated. Furthermore many anti-vaccine believers may feel justified by the fact that children who aren’t vaccinated are not getting sick from dangerous diseases. This is a false reality since all of the other children have been vaccinated so there is not much of a danger of infection. This debate would be laughable in the face of an outbreak such as small-pox.
The term autism is a smokescreen. The numbers below are what concerns people. Which one of you fine medical professionals would like to explain these mathamatical facts?
0.5 parts per billion (ppb) mercury = Kills human neuroblastoma
cells (Parran et al., Toxicol Sci 2005; 86: 132-140).
2 ppb mercury = U.S. EPA limit for drinking water.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html#mcls
20 ppb mercury = Neurite membrane structure destroyed (Leong et al.,
Neuroreport 2001; 12: 733-37).
200 ppb mercury = level in liquid the EPA classifies as hazardous
waste.
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/mercury/regs.htm#hazwaste
25,000 ppb mercury = Concentration of mercury in the Hepatitis B
vaccine, administered at birth in the U.S., from 1990-2001.
50,000 ppb Mercury = Concentration of mercury in multi-dose DTaP and
Haemophilus B vaccine vials, administered 4 times each in the 1990’s
to children at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months of age. Current “preservative” level mercury in multi-dose flu (94% of
supply), meningococcal and tetanus (7 and older) vaccines. This can
be confirmed by simply analyzing the multi- dose vials.
I didn’t know that Doctors were also immunologists AND toxicologists?
Have there ever been any studies on the long term effects of injecting foreign,zoologic, dna into the human bloodstream?
I wouldn’t say that the mainstream media is biased toward anti vaccine…though I am not an avid tv watcher, when I have watched television, every other commercial is a pharmaceutical.
,
I wouldn’t say that the mainstream media is biased toward anti vaccine
Maybe not directly. But since they are biased towards sensationalism, it ends up that way.
Just an FYI:
“The Pima County Health Department in Arizona is holding another measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination clinic on April 24, in response to a measles outbreak that has so far affected 13 people”
The numbers below are what concerns people. Which one of you fine medical professionals would like to explain these mathematical facts?
For one thing, thimerosal that was in vaccines is broken down to ethylmercury, which is different than methylmercury that we all worry about.
Studies have even been done in children who received thimerosal containing vaccines v. thimerosal free vaccines and they all had low levels of mercury in their bodies.
FDA/CBER - Thimerosal in Vaccines
CDC - Mercury and Vaccines
NIAID Research on Thimerosal , NIAID Fact Sheet