Anti-Vaxxers Causing Measles Outbreak in Texas
Remember the whole anti-vaxxer thing? Yeah, it's apparently still a thing that people don't want their kids to be vaccinated. And that is causing issues. Like in Ellis County, TX. There was a small outbreak of measles, with 6 people becoming infected, ranging in ages from 8 months to 27 years old.
Texas is more vulnerable than other states to measles outbreaks because of several reasons:
- Texas is one of 19 states to allow parents to opt out of public school vaccination requirements on grounds of conscientious beliefs. Those beliefs are rising, as there has been a steady increase in parents opting out since 2003.
- Texas is home to Texas for Vaccine Choice. A PAC that promotes politicians who supports its donors distrust of vaccines. And it's also the home of Andrew Wakefield, a former doctor in the UK who was stripped of his licence for falsifying date in a much-hyped study that showed a link between vaccines and autism.
In 2003, there was 2,314 students who filed for the conscientious exemption. In the 2016-2017 school year, a whopping 52,756 did.
Now, I started to ask myself, "If someone has been vaccinated, shouldn't they be safe from things like the measles? So it's just these non-vaccinated dummies who are getting the measles and it's just nature taking out the weak and stupid?"
If you have been vaccinated, you can still get the disease. The number is really low, about 3% of people who have been properly vaccinated can get the disease, but there's still a chance.
So please, don't be a dummy. Vaccinate your kids.