Is there a downside to taking your vaccination advice from Jenny McCarthy with a second opinion from the guy with the scraggly goatee working at Whole Foods?
As long as 90 to 95 percent of sensible people are still getting their measles shots the anti-vaxxers can leach off the vaccinated’s immunity and avoid getting the measles. Unfortunately, if the anti-vaxxers are able to convince enough normal people to avoid getting their shots, and overall immunization levels fall below 90 percent, irony sets in.
First the anti-vaxxers can come down with measles themselves. Second, they can be ostracized. And finally, they can be subject to fines.
The global nannies at the UN inform us we may be approaching a tipping point. “Preliminary global data shows that reported cases rose by 300 percent in the first three months of 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. This follows consecutive increases over the past two years.”
And if you really want to be concerned the UN estimates that only one in ten measles cases are reported to the authorities. That means the real increase is much higher.
The Hill newspaper recently ran a roundup story titled “Five things to know about the measles outbreak.” One of the items was quite surprising. “’The anti-vaccine lobby has grown from a fringe group to one with its own media empire,’ said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University’s College of Medicine.”
Instead of confining themselves to spreading misinformation at meetings of people who’ve been abducted by aliens, the anti-vaxx crowd has become increasingly sophisticated with an extensive campaign on social media.
In New York City, the situation has become so dire that Mayor Bill de Blasio — a remarkably incompetent lefty who is so zany one would expect him to be an anti-vaxxer — has declared a public health emergency.
CBS in New York reports the mayor has decided if he can’t appeal to reason regarding measles vaccinations, he will appeal to pocketbooks.
He has ordered anyone “living, working or going to school in four ZIP codes in the [Williamsburg] neighborhood” to get vaccinated and that includes “children over 6 months old.” Residents who ignore the order can be fined $1,000.00.
The Williamsburg neighborhood has been hit particularly hard with 250 cases since September.
Some parents are treating measles as just another social occasion. Dr. Herminia Palacico the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services expressed some amazement, “We have also heard reports of people attending so-called measles parties, bringing children together to purposely get exposed to measles…as a doctor, a public health practitioner, and a mom, I must warn you that exposing your unvaccinated child to measles is very dangerous, and it could even be deadly.”
The Center for Disease Control agrees. Ninety percent of unvaccinated people will catch the measles when exposed. For every 1,000 children who come down with the disease, one or two will die. Another 10 percent will get ear infections that can result in permanent hearing loss. And another 5 percent will come down with pneumonia, which is “the most common cause of death from measles in young children.”
Don’t risk your children’s health by relying on rumor-based ‘science’ for your vaccination decisions. Get the measles shot and get it now.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.