LewRockwell No time to wait. This just in…… a worldwide outbreak of measles is infecting hundreds of thousands and needlessly killing an untold number of innocent children so far. The outbreak is 3 times greater than the prior year and threatens to result in the US losing its “measles-free” status. I’m pulling my hair out, those damn anti-vaxxers, they’ve spread their venom around the world, haven’t they?
But in this day and age we have to ferret out fake news from truth. We have to get to the bottom of this. Somebody or some-thing is to blame for this.
Is it true that anti-vaccination campaigns are responsible for current outbreaks of measles, an infectious disease that was considered to be eradicated in the U.S. in the year 2000?
A report in the London-based Telegraph says the outbreak of measles there in the U.K. is simply because of difficulties getting appointments with doctors and a shortage of nurses, not anti-vaxxers. But that is only the U.K.
Finger pointing
A headline report in USA TODAY is entitled: “US In Danger Of Losing Measles-Free Status, A ‘Mortifying’ Effect Of Anti-Vaxx Movement.” Only one sentence in the USA TODAY report mentions anti-vaxxers: “The global resurgence has been fueled in part by the anti-vaccination movement.” That link goes to another report published in USA TODAY citing a lone anti-vax legislator in Texas who calls vaccines “sorcery” and opposes mandatory vaccination. Ah ha, I’ll bet that eccentric guy in Texas started all this!
According to Reuters News there is an “Alarming upsurge’ in measles has had a devastating impact.” But as you read this report the World Health Organization says this is occurring in “all regions.”
A public health authority said: “such outbreaks were clear indications of critical gaps in vaccination coverage and urged authorities to do more to raise rates of immunization.”
But if true, how did all the monitored zones in the world suddenly report waning vaccination rates are responsible for these global-wide outbreaks as if anti-vaxxers were capable of such a global-wide campaign? Maybe everybody in the world was learning about the anti-vaxx campaign online? Must be.
Another news report counts 364,808 cases of measles worldwide in the first six months of this year (2019). The World Health Organization is quoted to say 95 per cent of the population must have two vaccinations – at age one and age three – to adequately protect against measles.
If the measles vaccine were so effective why are two inoculations needed to develop sufficient antibodies to quell the disease? And why is the measles outbreak so widespread?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one dose of MMR (measles mumps, rubella) vaccine is 93% effective against measles, 78% effective against mumps, and 97% effective against rubella. Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and 88% effective against mumps. That isn’t complete immunity. Certainly, a few unvaccinated school age children among millions of vaccinated would develop measles. But a significant portion of these children were under age 12 months, the recommended age when the measles vaccine is first to be administered.
The Center for Infectious Disease Research & P0licy (CIDRAP) says: “Between Jan 1 and Jul 31, 2019, 182 countries reported 364,808 measles cases to the WHO. During the same period last year, 129,239 measles cases were reported from 181 countries. These cases represent a 10-fold increase in the WHO’s African region, a twofold increase in the European region, and a threefold increase in the Western Pacific Region. Most of those countries are seeing outbreaks because they have very low vaccination rates, the WHO said… But CIDRAP goes on to say: “…even countries with high vaccine coverage are seeing more measles activity…” !!!
So, I ask again, what is causing this measles outbreak?