The measles outbreak that started among a group of unvaccinated Mennonites in West Texas has now spread to New Mexico where 10 are confirmed infected and one person has died. The person who died was unvaccinated and did not seek medical care. This brings the state into the measles fold with nine other states: Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island, and Texas. In the US, the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) shot, is recommended for children ages 12 to 15 months, and the second for ages 4 to 6 years. There is no shortage of supply. Most pediatricians consider this a normal part of a child’s vaccination program.
So, why is the US having a measles outbreak? Because people are stupid.
There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines are safe and effective. Rigorous research and monitoring systems are in place to ensure vaccine safety, a cornerstone of public health. High vaccination rates are essential to protect not only vaccinated individuals but also vulnerable populations who cannot be vaccinated, such as infants and immunocompromised individuals, through herd immunity. Unfortunately, the US has a complete idiot in charge of Health and Human Services. Earlier this week, the numbskull recommended that people should “take vitamins,” to guard against getting the measles.
No. Vitamins won’t protect anyone from measles.
While there are several reasons a person might be hesitant to have their child vaccinated, all of them steeped in ignorance and misinformation. Much of the current outbreak is the result of faulty religious beliefs. Yes, we said faulty. No, we don’t care about your feelings on this subject.
Looking at all the various religious exemptions to vaccination, the majority comes down to three major fallacies: belief in faith healing, predestination, and insulated communities. While most major religions have no issues with vaccinations, the few holdouts can make the world dangerous for everyone else.
Some faiths emphasize spiritual healing through prayer and divine intervention as the primary means of preventing and treating illness. For these groups, relying on medical interventions like vaccines may be seen as a lack of faith in God’s ability to protect them. They believe that God is the ultimate healer and that trusting in divine providence is superior to medical science. These people quite often die because of their beliefs and it is especially frightening when a parent’s foolish faith causes the death of an innocent child. Placating these people allows mythology to replace science. While it’s one matter for an adult to make such a decision for themselves, forcing their beliefs on children is a criminal act.
Certain denominations, like some within the Dutch Reformed tradition, have historically had members who believe in predestination – the idea that God has already determined who will be healthy or sick. Vaccination, in this view, might be seen as interfering with God’s plan. There’s a good reason one doesn’t see too many Dutch Reformed churches around town: they keep dying. Again, this is what happens when a group of people go all-in on a mythological belief. One might as well believe in Asclepius, the Greco-Roman god of medicine, the son of Apollo (god of healing, truth, and prophecy), and the mortal princess Coronis, for all the good it will do them.
What may be most frightening are groups like the Mennonites in West Texas who have largely set themselves off from the rest of the world. This can foster distrust of external authorities like public health agencies and a greater reliance on information and beliefs within their own community. Within these close-knit communities, anti-vaccination sentiments can become amplified and reinforced, becoming part of the group’s identity and making it harder to challenge those views. Those who voice objections or break from religious traditions are often ostracized or forced to leave the community.
No matter what the reason for the objection might be, the fact remains that people who fail to vaccinate put the rest of the population at risk. While measles vaccine protection is generally long-lasting, immunity can wane slightly over time in some individuals. This is more likely to be a factor many years after vaccination, putting more elderly and immunocompromised people at risk. Even with good vaccine protection, exposure to a very high dose of the measles virus might overwhelm the immune system and lead to infection in a vaccinated individual. People’s immune systems respond differently to vaccines. Some individuals with a weaker immune response to the measles vaccine, making them more susceptible to breakthrough infections.
The good news is that even with breakthrough cases, having had the MMR vaccine reduces the severity of cases, especially in adults. High vaccination rates in the community protect those who cannot be vaccinated (like infants too young to be vaccinated and immunocompromised individuals) by reducing the overall spread of the virus. Still, measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 susceptible people will get the virus if exposed.
A high number of people in the US are making stupid decisions at the moment. Measles vaccination doesn’t need to be one of them. The MMR vaccine has a proven 97% effectiveness rate. This year’s outbreak proves that placating religious nut jobs puts far too many people at risk to hold any justification.
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