Measles in the USA : John Gilmartin

Morning,

All we need next are a few pockets of malnourished under five year olds, and maybe a group of immunocompromised children coming in contact with these cases and we could have a measles epidemic in the United States. 

 These subgroups won’t infect survivors; these will dead. Waning immunity in poor health older populations may also experience adult onset disease. 

 I’m wondering how Grant or Bellamy would have led UNICEF in this situation. If Steve Joseph is still with us I wonder if he could present his one hour lecture on how measles kills a child. I heard it in 1985, and it stuck.

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Editor's note: 14 US states currently report active outbreaks, with Texas and New Mexico hardest hit. So far there are three confirmed deaths.  The national MMR coverage for the 2023 / 2024 school year among kindergarteners was 92.7%, down from previous levels— and falling below the 95% herd immunity threshold.  Over three-quarters (39 states) had kindergarten MMR rates below 95% in that same school year, with 14 states below even 90%. Axios Time