5 Chicago Babies Now Have Measles Thanks To Anti-Vaxxer Attacks On Herd Immunity
Five infants at a Chicago daycare who were too young to be vaccinated have been infected with measles. These babies should have been protected by herd immunity to a disease that we have a vaccine for. Anti-vaxxers are not only enemies to public safety, they are enemies to working parents who have to put their trust in herd immunity in order to place their children in daycare and maintain their livelihoods.
The infants were attending a KinderCare Learning Center in Chicago. It’s not clear yet if these cases are linked to the Disneyland outbreak, which has already spread to 14 states.
From NBC News:
“We do expect that there will be more cases associated with this daycare,” Dr. Kiran Joshi of the Cook County Department of Public Health told a news conference.
“At this time, the source of infection for the children is not known. Health officials have taken extra precautions to limit the spread,” Illinois Department of Public Health and the Cook County Department of Public Health said in a joint statement.
It’s time to treat anti-vaxxers like the threat to public safety that they are. People with compromised immune systems or those too young to vaccinate depend on herd immunity to stay healthy and protected from disease. Measles was eradicated in 2000. Eradicated. It’s back with a vengeance, and it may be thanks to clusters of wealthy, entitled California parents who somehow decided that following a natural lifestyle and turning their backs on science goes hand in hand.
We need to stop the insanity. No more philosophical exemptions to vaccines. The public safety is depending on our ability to recognize this as a dangerous outbreak and act accordingly. A pair of California lawmakers have proposed a bill to remove the “personal belief” exemption option for vaccines required to attend public and private schools in the state. With California already seeing 99 cases of measles this year — it’s time. With the disease spreading as fast as it is, all other districts and states should follow their lead.
(photo: gopixa/ Shutterstock)
