Measles

It was reported on July 2, that, for the first time in A DECADE, a person has died in the USA from Measles.  Clellam County in Washington State, reported a woman died of Measles, complicated by pneumonia.  The tragedy is that it was TOTALLY preventable, if all of the children eligible for vaccination had received it.  The death is almost certainly connected to the outbreak that occurred in Disneyland in California this year, with over 100 cases traced directly.

We know that, some years ago,  an unethical physician named Wakefield took money to fraudulently "prove" that the MMR vaccine caused autism.  The Journal Lancet has retracted the article and apologized for the lie, and the doctor punished.    But the damage from the lie continues, as it is almost impossible to put out the smoke and stop the falsehood from continuing to spread!  Parents hearing rumors of a child being harmed by a vaccine, become fearful of vaccines,  that their child might develop abnormally as a result of being vaccinated.   Being anxious about the health of a loved one is natural.  But we should use the energy we get from anxiety to EFFECTIVELY protect our baby.

We KNOW that MEASLES is a horrible, dangerous and thankfully PREVENTABLE infection.  In the early 1960's, before the vaccine, there were HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of cases of Measles yearly.  ONE OUT OF A THOUSAND PATIENTS DIED!  And one out of a thousand had severe encephalitis (brain inflammation) and were permanently damaged.  Terrible.

But we almost never see that in the USA today. 

But Measles still spreads in other parts of the world; so we must protect our citizens.  If we travel abroad, we should make sure that we and our kids are protected.  IN FACT, it's advised that young kids traveling internationally, who haven't completed the TWO DOSE series,  get the next dose before their trip, even if it's before the usual age for getting it.

Check with your doctor.