Why are measles cases popping up across the United States? Anti-Science fringe politics seems to be one of the reasons.

How fringe anti-science views infiltrated mainstream politics — and what it means in 2024 - CBS News

Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. In recent weeks, an infant and two young children have been hospitalized amid an ongoing measles outbreak in Philadelphia that spread to a day care center.

It's a dangerous shift driven by a critical mass of people who now reject decades of science backing the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines. State by state, they've persuaded legislators and courts to more easily allow children to enter kindergarten without vaccines, citing religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs.

Growing vaccine hesitancy is just a small part of a broader rejection of scientific expertise that could have consequences ranging from disease outbreaks to reduced funding for research that leads to new treatments. "The term 'infodemic' implies random junk, but that's wrong," said Peter Hotez, a vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. "This is an organized political movement, and the health and science sectors don't know what to do."

A bit troubling. Seems like recent anti-vaxxing caused by spread if misinformation via partisan politics is one of the reasons. Crazy that it's come to this. It's best to trust the science and your doctors, who will likely recommend measles vaccines for your child. The doctors know better than a politician like DUI Matt Geatz, who probably has other things in mind.

Hopefully science prevails again.

Maybe they thought measles vaccines didn't have enough testing yet.

I think it's required in all states. Maybe Joe Ladapo will change that though.

True, but exemption requests seem to be allowed and are increasing ever since 2021. Ones with no real medical reason, oddly.

Because of idiots. The MAGA movement cannot die off fast enough. Really hope this trend of traditional conservatives and Republicans not supporting Trump/MAGA continues to grow and we can get back to at least some semblance of common ground and common sense.

It used to be you'd hear about these anti-vax folks and they were very very fringe and usually a religious fundamentalist, and they'd often get CPS called on them for abusing (and often killing) their child for things like this.

Now we are experiencing more and more often these whackos, and it's starting to have an impact on the greater good.

You want to indulge in fairy tales, that's fine; but don't let those fairy tales and conspiracy theories influence your reality. It's all fun and games to think aliens built the pyramids but when you refuse to get vaccinated and your kids vaccinated, you start fucking with the world in a very real sense and that's wrong on many levels.

I'm more worried about the Supreme Court siding with far-right fundamentalist and Chriso-fascists at this point than science prevailing.

The science might prevail, but if the SC can keep making excuses to play dirty, what good is it? "Oh you believe it will make you sick? EXEMPTION!" or "Oh Jesus spoke to you and said don't take it? EXEMPTION!"

There's a lot of talk and concern about how the SC is going from a judicial branch and turning into a legislative one. That's not their job.

Sounds a lot like child abuse to me.

No school or childcare place should accept these kids until they have been vaccinated. No parent should get any government support until they have vaccinated their kids. There are perfectly valid grounds to discriminate against them here.

The only exemption should be for kids who have e.g. severe autoimmune issues. Parents' mystical superstitions should never be a factor here.

@Planeforger: Completely agree.

Interesting phrasing given the topic.

Agreed.

Parents are free to raise their kids as they see fit.

And we are free to keep those kids away from us if they are a health risk.

Majority of people are so paranoid of anti vaxers to the point it seems funny.

Measles similar to chicken pox is not a life threatening disease. It is a benign viral disease that clears away on its own in 7-10 day.

The real problem is schools all over the world are not run the way they should. The management is devoid of common sense. They should implement a simple policy of screening students using a digital thermometer gun. No one with a fever should be allowed in schools. Problem solved.

Gods help us all...

Russian state social media trollbots spread a ton of that antivaxxerism, ironically they tried pumping the brakes because it affects their own country as much as the others but kinda too late now. Just deserts.

Why don't you go back and read what you said, and then ask yourself "Hey, is there any way to prevent this kind of illness?"

Some major flaws, too:

• 7-10 days is a long time to be sick. I only get five days of a sick time at work. A lot of people won't admit to being sick and show up to work and spread the disease.
  • Why not just get vaccinated so a.) lessen your chances of getting sick, and if you do catch an illness it b.) won't be for as long, c.) is less likely to spread?
• Also, I work in the US and at an at-will state, if I get sick for almost two weeks I could be fired.
  • This is especially true if everyone isn't vaccinated and I get sick multiple times each year due to illnesses spreading.
• Illnesses often come with long-term side effects that don't manifest until years down the line.
• If it can be avoided, and safely, then it would be smart to do so (like with a vaccine).
• These diseases are life-threatening to immuno-compromised people, infants, elderly, and others.
• 7-10 days each year (just to use an example) is a lot of time:
  • That's a lot of people missing work, not making money or contributing.
  • That's a lot of kids missing school.
  • That's missed vacations, weddings, and social events you might have had planned.
  • It's a huge burden on our health industry when these people need to go to doctors offices and hospitals for something that could have been avoided.

I wouldn't say I am paranoid of anti-vaxxers, it's more just shocked and disappointed that people can be so selfish and unconcerned about the greater good, and so stupid as to be afraid of medicine and science with a proven history of defeating disease and the spread of disease.

I mean we have all but made some of these diseases extinct in some cases but they're coming back and killing people and making people sick, but people would rather believe Joe Rogan or Alex Jones than decades of medical science.

Anti-vaxxers are, for lack of a better term, cowards and pussies.

Yeah and I'd be OK with this (MAGA dying, either literally or figuratively) tbh if they weren't taking so many of us down with them.

Parents who don't vaccinate their children should be forced to home school them. No exceptions.

The anti-vax mentality is seriously disappointing, to put it mildly.

Vaccinations should be required unless you are confirmed to have a medical condition that would not allow for it.

It should not be a decision made by the parent. We are all in this together, don't **** it up.

Many would view that as extreme, but frankly I think it is just plain common sense.

It's also fairly diplomatic; they're free to be anti-vaxx, and we are free to be safe from them. At least in some respects; they're still out there in the world going to our sporting events, grocery stores, etc.

Another reasonable stance that is unfortunately considered extreme in this current political climate. Sad when a vocal minority wields so much power.

Honestly I've had enough; I think it's time to arm health workers with tranq rifles and blowdarts loaded with vaccine and let them roam the streets with bounties, tagging anti-vaxxers. It's not that far off from what we used to do.

Could you re-phrase this in a second amendment way?

Why is there a double X in Vaxxer?

It's not like anyone would pronounce it vay-kser if there were just one. No precedent for that pronunciation or the above spelling.

Stupid, just stupid.

Honestly no clue where that name or spelling actually came from, it's just old lol. Anti-vaccine makes most sense.

"It's time to empower health-conscious individuals by recognizing their right to protect themselves against those who choose not to get vaccinated. Just as individuals have the right to bear arms for self-defense, there should be consideration for the rights of those who prioritize public health through vaccination."

In other words: I have a military grade vaccine cocktail and a license to conceal-carry this tranq pistol. **** around and get vaccinated.

Yeah.

Then again, the precedent for this is that we go around carrying clubs, scalpels, and corpse paste of disease victims in jars.

We beat people into submission if they resist vaccines, give them a deep cut on the arm, then smear the corpse paste into the wound.

That's what they used to do in the early 20th century, at least.

I mean, why bring firearms into it, after all? Beating people with clubs is much more civilized.

Probably comming in from all the the unchecked illegal aliens being let in from third world countries.

@sargentd: bingo

Unvetted and diseased 3rd worlders pouring across the border.

But it’s Americans fault. 😂😂😂🙄🙄🙄

Yup, durring covid they wouldn't even let americans fly or go to a bar without a covid Vax card. But if your an illegal alien who jumped the border nobody gave a shit if your vaccinated or not lol

Yeah, never understood it. One X is plenty.

You have quite the case of xenophobia. Might want to check if there's a vaccine for that.

Yeah bringing up that people from third world countries typically aren't up to date on all current vaccinations makes me xenophobic!

Lulzz!!

It sure does. Glad you figured it out.

Facts are xenophobic *shrug*

Which third world countries?

That include the US?

The way you use facts is xenophobic in this case, yes.

In either case, iirc many of these outbreaks have been traced back to US citizens, often white. I believe that big outbreak at Disneyland a few years back was from a nice white family 😋

Also many US citizens refuse to get vaccinated, nor does the US force people to get vaccinated, so there's that whole deal as well.

Source? I can only find facts pointing to other reasons:

Why Conservatives Are Shifting Views on Childhood Vaccines | TIME

How fringe anti-science views infiltrated mainstream politics — and what it means in 2024 - CBS News

Red-herring. It in no way proves your original comment. You've already been wrong on this,

Migrants Not Responsible for Latest COVID-19 Surge - FactCheck.org

PolitiFact | Ron DeSantis’ effort to blame COVID-19 spread on migrants is short on evidence

The biggest recent vaccination issues in US was from right wing Republicans, not third world migrants:

For COVID-19 vaccinations, party affiliation matters more than race and ethnicity | Brookings

Although considering the more right wing a County, State, or Country is the more 3rd world it is you might be on to something!

You stated no facts ITT.

How can someone be so wrong all the time lol.

https://www.who.int/news/item/16-11-2023-global-measles-threat-continues-to-grow-as-another-year-passes-with-millions-of-children-unvaccinated

Low-income countries, where the risk of death from measles is highest, continue to have the lowest vaccination rates at only 66%; a rate that shows no recovery at all from the backsliding during the pandemic. Of the 22 million children who missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, over half live in just 10 countries: Angola, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Philippines.

“The lack of recovery in measles vaccine coverage in low-income countries following the pandemic is an alarm bell for action. Measles is called the inequity virus for good reason. It is the disease that will find and attack those who aren’t protected,” said Kate O’Brien, WHO Director for Immunization, Vaccine and Biologicals. “Children everywhere have the right to be protected by the lifesaving measles vaccine, no matter where they live.“

​​CDC and WHO urge countries to find and vaccinate all children against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, and encourage global stakeholders to aid countries to vaccinate their most vulnerable communities. In addition, to help prevent outbreaks, all global health partners at the global, regional, national, and local levels must invest in robust surveillance systems and outbreak response capacity to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks.

Yes it is required in all states, correct

In no way does that article suggest or even remotely hint at as being the reason for the US outbreak. Multiple experts I cited suggest reduced vaccine rates in US, after Covid.

Do you have a source showing the recent outbreaks were from illegal migrants? This statement appears to be false, like the last 3 times it was attempted since 2019. You're not going to turn this thread into a minority bash fest when it's mostly Republicans who were causing these vaccine issues in US over the last few years.....

You can still get exemptions, which is what increased over the last few years. Which is what is theorized to be allowing these measles outbreaks. And these exemptions had no real medical reason, so just crazy people.

CDC data shows highest level yet of vaccine exemptions for kindergartners - The Washington Post

My theory makes more sense than you stupid theory about Maga conservative people spreading frigging measles in Philadelphia of all places lol...

I think he's talking about Republican counties, which are another set of third world areas that weren't up to date with their current vaccinations:

• The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Continues: An Update | KFF
• Study finds increased deaths in Republican majority counties (spectrumnews1.com)

Oddly enough I bet he took no issue with that. Golly, I wonder why.

Your theory was proven wrong the last few times the racist far right tried it,

• Migrants Not Responsible for Latest COVID-19 Surge - FactCheck.org
• Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist - FactCheck.org

Your claim is fake it seems. I need citation directly making your case from a "high fact" source quoting vaccine researches like I have for mine.

Straw man, that isn't my theory nor the one in my article. I never said conservatives directly spread measles, I said they were the source of our major vaccine screw ups over the last years. These screw ups including policies, the main spreaders of vaccine misinformation, and yes being the main determining demographic to not get vaccinated for Covid. Which isn't a theory, it's a fact:

• The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Continues: An Update | KFF
• COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and political ideation among college students in Central New York: The influence of differential media choice - PMC (nih.gov)
• Right‐wing ideological constraint and vaccine refusal: The case of the COVID‐19 vaccine in Norway - Wollebæk - 2022 - Scandinavian Political Studies - Wiley Online Library

So automatically blaming illegals this time without proof seemed silly considering it was your demographic causing and having reduced vaccine rates last time. I was pointing and laughing at your absurdity.

And it's the right wing's misinformation and politics driving the recent reduction in rates beyond just Covid,

it's a dangerous shift driven by a critical mass of people who now reject decades of science backing the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines. State by state, they've persuaded legislators and courts to more easily allow children to enter kindergarten without vaccines, citing religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs.

Growing vaccine hesitancy is just a small part of a broader rejection of scientific expertise that could have consequences ranging from disease outbreaks to reduced funding for research that leads to new treatments. "The term 'infodemic' implies random junk, but that's wrong," said Peter Hotez, a vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. "This is an organized political movement, and the health and science sectors don't know what to do."

How fringe anti-science views infiltrated mainstream politics — and what it means in 2024 - CBS News

The experts state it was likely due to a reduction in vaccination rates and increase in exemptions. Driven by politics. Seems more likely than illegals given history, current data, and fact checks.

I mean you only wrongly blame Mexicans so much before it starts seeming sus lol.

People using disease as an excuse to be bigoted.. why am I not surprised? Anything to remove accountability from oneself, and their anti-vax sentiments. Ironically enough these are the same people who use the rhetoric "personal responsibility" the most.

Also, I do fear what is going to happen when the Avian Flu starts jumping from human to human. We already saw it decimate Elephant Seal populations lately, a mammal. These anti-vax sentiments will doom us all.

It's not just measles and not just the US. Thanks to the internet, stupid people now have a say in things they never had a say in and they like it so they keep pushing more and more. It's only thanks to smart people that we have vaccines that save lives, and stupid people are like yeah, not sure if they're up to my quality standards. Like, seriously, **** off. Just **** off.

@mrbojangles25: Trump 2024!