Could that also be said about the Canadian total? It is not easy to get an appointment in Canada with a family doctor.
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There was a confirmed measles case that passed through both Newark and Logan over the holiday travel. So glad we are vaccinated! MA and NJ issued an alert:
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As a reminder, measles vaccination is 97% effective, but that means that there is an unlucky 3%. Apparently, such a person tested positive in Walnut Creek, CA recently. News reports did mention various stores and health care facilities that the person visited shortly before diagnosis with measles, but did not mention whether the person had recently been in measles outbreak areas.
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Itâs impossible to get an appointment with a primary care doc where I live in the US as well (I tried to set up an appointment for my 88 year old mother who hasnât seen her PCP in a couple years back in early October - the earliest appointment they had was late April so I doubt itâs any harder in Canada). But if you have suspected measles anywhere someone is going to see you if you call - at least to test - whether itâs the pediatrician/pcp, urgent care, or the ED. Comparing trying to get a well visit versus trying to get tested for potential measles case is a false equivalency. I have no idea if cases are also undercounted in Canada - I havenât looked at those data - but itâs well accepted they are undercounted in TX and the other western states as many cases are managed at home and people who donât vaccinate are less likely to trust the health care system in general.
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The severity of measles can vary enormously. It can vary enormously within one family and between siblings.
Many, many, many years ago (before a vaccine existed) I had a very mild case of measles (in Canada). The only reason that I even knew that I had measles is that three other family members were very sick at the same time. If anyone had been counting at the time, I would not have been included in any count.
There are probably a few people experiencing the same thing right now. I would expect some under-counting in both the US and Canada.
To me one of the scariest parts of this is that measles might be a precursor of other preventable diseases. I am taking this as a warning. Polio has not been wiped off the face of the world either. It could make a comeback. My understanding is that the bacteria that causes tetanus is quite common in the wild, and in soil. It could make a comeback.
I am concerned that the current measles outbreak could be among other things a warning regarding other outbreaks that might also occur in the future.
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In more ways than just the anti-vaccine way⊠Measles infection tends to erase or reduce prior acquired immunity against other viruses.
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Agree with your concern. And I will point out that many public health experts (I am not one of them) credit the ârecommended vaccine scheduleâ for babies and toddlers as an effective way of catching many other medical and developmental issues. Knowing that the parents will be interacting with a health care professional to get the ârequiredâ (even though in some states it was more of a suggestion) vaccines on time, means that fewer resources needed to be expended teaching parents to recognize the signs of other issues or diseases. The fear is that on top of the measles explosion, weâll start to see five year oldâs whose developmental delays were not recognized at 18 months, 6 year oldâs whose vision or hearing problems were not caught early, etc.
The ânatural parenting movementâ which includes raw milk, no vaccines, no fluoride, etc. is likely to lead to many more kids with disabilities, even apart from the risks of contracting these easily preventable diseases. So tragic.
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And we have an outbreak! 