Should we let our kids die of measles?

Vaccination of children prevents measles infections. Currently, measles outbreaks are happening in 19 states, with over 480 cases so far this year. Under the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the agency is being gutted of workers in the Office of Infectious Diseases. Further, the top vaccine official at the Department just resigned, citing Kennedy’s “misinformation and lies”.

From the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases:

• About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the US who get measles will be hospitalized (the risk is higher in children younger than age 5 years)
• 1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which could lead to brain damage
• As many as 1 in 20 children with measles will get pneumonia
• 1-3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die, even with the best care

The Department no longer strongly encourages vaccination against measles, instead saying:

• The decision to vaccinate is a personal one.
• People should consult with their healthcare provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.

From ProPublica: The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations. The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the nation’s top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.

• Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff this week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica.
• In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show.

From The Guardian: Top US vaccine official resigns over RFK Jr’s ‘misinformation and lies’

• Dr Peter Marks served as the FDA’s top vaccine official. He had been lauded by Donald Trump during the US president’s first term for his role in Operation Warp Speed, the initiative that developed, manufactured and helped distribute the Covid-19 vaccines.
• In a resignation letter, referring to Kennedy, Marks wrote: “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”
• Marks also issued a stark warning, according to media outlets who obtained the letter, saying: “Undermining confidence in well-established vaccines that have met the high standards for quality, safety and effectiveness that have been in place for decades at FDA is irresponsible, detrimental to public health and a clear danger to our nation’s health, safety and security.”

From CBS News: RFK Jr. to gut vaccine promotion and HIV prevention office, sources say

• The entire staff of the federal government’s Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy is expected to be laid off, multiple federal health officials told CBS News Friday.
• Much of the government’s efforts to buoy lagging childhood vaccination rates nationwide have been run through OIDP

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