The tediously predictable has happened. The statistics are in for (most of) 2008, and cases of Measles have risen to the sorts of levels we've not seen for years - bringing us ever closer to a new major epidemic. 1,217 cases of measles were recorded from January to November 2008 - November alone saw more cases than the whole of 1996 (115 vs 113).
I'm going to repeat what I said back in July: Measles is dangerous. A lot of people simple don't realize this, either because they are young, or because they have faulty memories. Measles can hospitalize and kill children, and potentially leave them with permanent brain damage. It kills over a third of a million people worldwide, and a massively overlooked point about the United Kingdom's abysmal record combatting this disease is that Britain is now an exporter of Measles to countries that don't have the health care facilities that we do.
And excuse me for repeating my July post further, but still, there's an assumption that, with modern medical care, even if measles were to come back it would be trivial. Well, let's look at some recent outbreaks, all occuring in areas where vaccination rates fell:
Italy, 2002: 4 deaths, 594 hospitalizations.
California, 1989/90: 75 deaths, 3,390 hospital admissions.
Japan, 2000: 88 deaths.
Germany, 2006: 160 children hospitalized, 3 with brain inflammation.
Ireland, 2000: 3 children dead, 350 hospitalized.
As JDC puts it: "This is exactly why the mainstream media, the anti-vaccinationists (for example pressure groups such as JABS), and Andrew Wakefield have been accused of posing a danger to public health." Journalists involved in this should be ashamed - they have blood on their hands.
http://layscience.net/trackback/465
Your scaremongering tactic of saying 1/3 of a million die from measles is very misleading as those deaths occur in third world countries due to malnutrition and lack of hygeine.
Diarrhea kills more than 1.5 million each year in those same countries and yet we do not think its a killer disease in devoloped countries.
So Diarrhea according to your system of evaluating risk is at least 6 times more dangerous than measles FOR EVEYONE.
Its you who has blood on your hands for spreading corporate junk science like a good sheep.
Keep your MMR jab made from abonimation like aborted baby cells and bovine fetal cells.
Better to risk measles which we all had in the 1960s than 1 in 77 chance of autism, a weaker immune system for life, auto immune disease, and never forgot MMR kills babies like it killed baby george Fisher and many many others.
We will never stop our campaign to highlight the cover ups and risk of MMR and we want every parent in the Country to know the horrific ingredients so many more will reject MMR.
Anonymous - these are still 1/3 of a million deaths preventable by vaccination, no matter how you spin it.
All you need is some evidence for your assertions about MMR and autism and baby deaths and you might have a point.
"Your scaremongering tactic of saying 1/3 of a million die from measles
is very misleading as those deaths occur in third world countries due
to malnutrition and lack of hygeine."
The point is that as long as we fail to eradicate Measles in Europe, we are exporting cases to countries that may not have the same standards of healthcare. Epidemics do not respect borders, and it is out responsibility to work with the rest of the world.
"Better to risk measles which we all had in the 1960s than 1 in 77 chance of autism, a weaker immune system for life,"
An evidence-free assertion, and I doubt you even have any understanding of what a "weaker immune system" means in biological terms".
Martin is the editor of layscience.net.
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It brings it all back doesn't it: Ian Cleverly on Rash Decisions.
"Telling friends in the area of our off-limits household over the past two weeks has produced some interesting reactions; some supportive, some gently chastising, some downright annoyed (in a "how can you be so selfish?" kind of way).
Maybe we are being selfish. Perhaps we have taken an almighty risk with the health of our children and been lucky to get away with it. We are not totally convinced one way or the other. But we do know that our kids are fighting fit and have made mincemeat of the measles."
Indeed. In that same article I had to cringe at "a desire to keep any drugs whatsoever out of our babies systems until they were strong enough to cope with them." - a totally irrational sentiment.
Martin is the editor of layscience.net.
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You obviously don't know any of the people who had measles in the UK who were left with chronic infections that have plagued them all their life - whether respiratory or ENT. There are many people in their 40s and older who have a such a 'weak chest' following 2ndary infections after measles that they tell you it interfered with their schooling and their later job prospects.
As for the other countries, pneumonia and other respiratory illness (too often as sequelae to preventable childhood illnesses): Childhood pneumonia mortality- a permanent global emergency.
"Better to risk measles which we all had in the 1960s than 1 in 77 chance of autism, a weaker immune system for life,"
Someone has been listening to Jenny McCarthy and reading People magazine. ;-)
There are other death causes aside from measles that vaccinations could not prevent. However, it is much more important to prevent this, than risks getting any kind of illnesses. Vaccinations are really necessary. I agree, measles is really dangerous, and it is important that children get vaccinated from this.