Measles outbreak kills almost 1,000 children in Madagascar despite emergency vaccination scheme

[hobbits_friend]

The Indian Ocean island has Africa’s highest rate of children’s malnutrition, increasing health risk from measles infection

At least 922 children and young adults have died of measles in Madagascar since October, despite a huge emergency vaccination program, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

The number of deaths is based on

Comments

[mickeym]

I can't help but wonder if the anti-vaxxer movement will make us, as a society, revisit the laws we created for tuberculosis, and apply them to other infectious diseases.

We need to. I truly believe that.

The thing that is the worst, in my opinion, is that a lot of anti-vaxxers -- the loud, outspoken ones -- are the ones who think they'd rather have a dead child, than a child with Autism (yes, I know there isn't a connection, but there seem to be so many who appear to remain unconvinced).

I lost a friend over the whole anti-vax thing. At some point she turned into one (*proud* of her daughter and grandchildren who had whooping cough, and went about their normal business, work, school, etc, "it was just a bad cold"). She tried to tell me about families she knew who had a child or children on the spectrum, and I couldn't possibly know how that felt because my son is "so high-functioning". I called bullshit and told her she didn't have a clue what his childhood had been like for us... and that was it.

Everyone who can be vaccinated...should be vaccinated.

[soleiltropiques]

"The thing that is the worst, in my opinion, is that a lot of anti-vaxxers -- the loud, outspoken ones -- are the ones who think they'd rather have a dead child, than a child with Autism (...)"

I agree. This is seriously f*cked up.

I mean, I can understand having to adjust to the diagnosis, but I DON'T understand that.

(Full disclosure: I am not a parent and I don't know anyone who is autistic. I do have a sister who is schizophrenic however. She will never be 'normal'. I know I'm going to be responsible for her when my parents are gone. And her life has value. As much as mine. /my 0.02$)

"She tried to tell me about families she knew who had a child or children on the spectrum, and I couldn't possibly know how that felt because my son is "so high-functioning". I called bullshit and told her she didn't have a clue what his childhood had been like for us... and that was it."

Oh my God. That's just... Wow.

Yeah, I can understand cancelling a friendship when someone comes up with something like this. That's just horrible.