Nature whacks the stupid

Measles Outbreak Infects 695, Highest Number Since 2000

Most cases are linked to two large and apparently unrelated outbreaks. 

One is centered in Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City and its suburbs; that outbreak began in October and recently spread to Orthodox communities in Michigan.

The other outbreak began in Washington State.

“The longer these outbreaks continue, the greater the chance measles will again get a sustained foothold in the United States,” the C.D.C. said in a statement.

The virus mostly has stricken families that do not vaccinate their children, and the C.D.C. blamed “organizations that are deliberately targeting these communities with inaccurate and misleading information about vaccines.”

The stable moron in the White House is, of course, an anti-vaxxer.

Mayor Bill DeBlasio declared a state of emergency and threatened residents of four Brooklyn ZIP codes with $1,000 fines if they refused to vaccinate.

Twelve summonses have been issued so far, the city health department said; people who do not answer them can be fined $2,000. City officials closed a yeshiva preschool for violating vaccination orders.

. . . .

Measles is among the most contagious of diseases. 

Virus-laced droplets can hover in still indoor air for up to two hours after someone infected has coughed or sneezed. 

Up to 90 percent of people who are exposed will catch the virus if they are not immunized.

The vaccine is considered very safe, and two doses are about 97 percent effective at conferring immunity. 

The vaccine is normally given at ages 1 and 5, but during outbreaks pediatricians may give it to healthy children as young as six months old.