In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.
CDC:
As of August 29, 2024, a total of 236 measles cases were reported by 29 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
There have been 13 outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in 2024, and 69% of cases (163 of 236) are outbreak-associated. For comparison, 4 outbreaks were reported during 2023 and 49% of cases (29 of 59) were outbreak-associated.
Sheila Mulrooney Eldred at Minnesota Public Radio:
A measles outbreak that began in May in Minnesota has spread to 30 people, primarily infecting children in the Somali community. One dugsi, or Islamic religious school, has voluntarily closed in order to curtail the spread, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.Meira Gebel and Tina Reed at Axios Portland:
About a third of the patients have required hospitalization, a state spokesperson said. All but one were unvaccinated.
The outbreak brings the state to 36 measles cases this year.
Measles is endemic in many countries, including African countries that Minnesota’s Somali families visit in the summer months. Seven people contracted the respiratory virus from travel, state health officials said.
“So when people who didn’t vaccinate and then travel outside of the country where measles is still existing, they contract it and then it spreads here because we have a close-knit community with big families,” said Sheikh Yusuf Abdulle, executive director of Islamic Association of North America. He has requested that people attending this weekend’s annual convention consider their vaccination status before attending.
“We’re concerned because 36 is a big number,” said Sheyanga Beecher, a certified nurse practitioner in pediatrics at HCMC and medical director of Hennepin Healthcare Mobile Health. “And, school’s around the corner. It’s been spreading a lot in child care centers, areas where people congregate. And next week kids are going to be congregating on buses, in classrooms, in hallways … so it has the potential to increase.”
Oregon's recent measles outbreak — one of the largest in the state's history — is refocusing attention on declining childhood vaccination rates as kids head back to school.
Why it matters: Oregon has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates for kindergartners in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Studies have found an increased risk of infection from vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, which is potentially fatal, among exempt children.
Threat level: There have been 30 confirmed cases of measles in Oregon as of Wednesday, all among unvaccinated individuals. A dozen of those cases are in children under age 10.
Preventing the resurgence of measles and other childhood illnesses, like polio, requires nearly universal vaccinations, which isn’t the case in Pennsylvania. During the 2019-2020 school year, the kindergarten vaccination rate for measles was 96.4%, according to data analyzed by the state Department of Health. In 2022-2023, that rate dropped to 94%. If the number of unvaccinated kids creeps further upward, Pennsylvania could face a public health crisis that is entirely avoidable.
