A measles outbreak in South Carolina that began in October continues to rage, with the state health department reporting Friday that nearly 100 new cases have been identified just in the last three days.
South Carolina has reported 99 new measles cases in the past 3 days. Meanwhile RFK Jr. is "building a case" to argue that the U.S. shouldn't lose its measles elimination status. But we've lost it and hell of a lot more. He only cares about optics. Reality need not apply.
-- Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD (@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social) Jan 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
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OpEd: RFK Jr. Joins the Anti-Vaccine Fringe (2014)
time.com
... There are lots of places to go if you want dangerous crazytalk. There are websites, blog threads, cable channels trafficking in all kinds of addled nonsense about birther conspiracies and one-world governments.
And then there was Robert Kennedy, Jr., the tireless, honest climate hero long famous for fighting the very good fight.
But that was then. RFK, Jr. may still know a thing or two about global warming, but he has taken a disreputable plunge into the world of anti-science with his new and inexplicable crusade: warning people about the dangers of vaccines. ...
Maybe this Republican Senator from South Carolina could do the world a favor and catch it. Her, too for that matter: i.ytimg.com
#8 Left Hind Turds says that measles kills about a few hundred people a year.
Because the boy on the left is exactly the same as the boy on the right, so what difference does it make?
Plus, it seems no big deal to Left Hind Turds that some children will die, or suffer life-long, adverse consequences.
'Tis in the exact same category as Charlie Kirk saying the death of many, many Americans due to gun violence is AOK because freedum, or something like that.
History of Measles
www.cdc.gov
... In 1912, measles became a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, requiring U.S. healthcare providers and laboratories to report all diagnosed cases. In the first decade of reporting, an average of 6,000 measles-related deaths were reported each year.
A vaccine became available in 1963. In the decade before, nearly all children got measles by the time they were 15 years old. It is estimated 3 to 4 million people in the United States were infected each year. Among reported measles cases each year, an estimated:
- - - 400 to 500 people died
- - - 48,000 were hospitalized
- - - 1,000 suffered encephalitis (swelling of the brain)
...
Measles elimination in the United States
In 1978, CDC set a goal to eliminate measles from the United States by 1982. Although this goal was not met, widespread use of measles vaccine drastically reduced the disease rates. By 1981, the number of reported measles cases was 80% less compared with the previous year. ...
Historic achievement
Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. This meant the absence of the continuous spread of disease was greater than 12 months. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region. ...
@#22 ... -90% vaccinated?
isn't that were are now? ...
It looks that way. 90%
That seems to be the low end, the very low end, for herd immunity.
But there is a need to get back to at least 95% vaccinated to attain real herd immunity.
Measles Resurgence and the Fragility of Herd Immunity: Implications for Pediatric Infectious Disease Practice
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
... Because measles requires vaccination coverage above 90%-95% to prevent transmission, even a 5% exemption rate can undermine herd immunity and enable outbreaks of this highly contagious virus. ...
We currently seem to be, as your comment notes, around 90% vaccination rate.
And now we are seeing outbreaks of measles in a country that had once been declared free of measles.
What might occur if we continue the trend and go below that 90% vaccination rate?
How Herd Immunity Works (February 2025)
historyofvaccines.org
... Herd immunity works like a chain reaction. Imagine a virus as a fire: if too many people are "flammable" (susceptible), the fire spreads quickly. But if enough people are "fireproof" (immune), the flames die out. This protects vulnerable groups like newborns, elderly individuals, or people with weakened immune systems who can't get vaccinated. ...
So how do we know the approximate level of vaccination needed for herd immunity? Math.
The math behind herd immunity starts with a number called R0 (pronounced "R-naught" and sometimes referred to as the "basic reproductive number"). R0 tells us how contagious a disease is. For example:
- - - Measles has an R0 of about 15 (one person infects 15 others).
- - - COVID-19's original strain had an R0 of 2"3.
To calculate the herd immunity threshold, scientists use the formula: 1 " (1/R0).
For measles (R0=15), this means 1 " (1/15) = 1 - 0.067 = 0.933, or about 93% immunity needed.
If fewer people are immune, the disease keeps spreading.
For original COVID, herd immunity was achievable at around 66% immunity, but variants and people's hesitance in getting vaccinated made it a difficult goal to achieve. ...
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