Measles. What.
If you have stayed up to date at all recently, then I'm sure you have seen increasing news coverage on the recent outbreaks of measles in the United States, especially Florida.
Even as a health care professional, I read a few news articles and was genuinely concerned for myself as an emergency room nurse. I started to imagine us all walking around the ED in hazmat suits, preparing for a zombie apocalypse.
So what was the next logic step? Meh. I panicked next.
What was the next truly logical step? I went to the CDC's updated website page on the Measles outbreak.
Here's that link: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
What I found to be so interesting from their website is that there have been yearly Measles outbreaks in the United States for a long time now. The web page link shows the number of yearly cases since back in 2010, with various results.
Year: Cases:
2010 63
2011 220
2012 55
2013 187
2014 667
2015 188
2016 86
2017 118
2018 107
So as you can see, there have been fluctuations. 2011 seemed like maybe a scary year, but it was followed by 2012 and only 55 cases. 2018 looks like it will end up being a moderately severe year for outbreaks.
I was able to wipe the sweat from my brow when I realized that I don't have to start digging a bunker in my backyard, this is nothing new. So I spent some time reflecting on how dangerous fantastical news headings can be. How many other people read the exact same news article that I did, proceeded to panic, and then never searched for any more answers. Now they are still sitting in a puddle of panic and I am reminded that things are hardly as terrible as they seem.
Sensationalized healthcare news can be dangerous. But maybe it can also be advantageous? The vast majority of these cases, like the really vast majority of these cases, occurred in people that were not vaccinated against measles.
What can we do about this?
1) Vaccinate our peeps. Keep our families and friends protected
2) Educate those that don't want to vaccinate about the benefits of vaccination. And then if they aren't budging, teach them about the importance of herd immunity.
*Sidenote: tell your anti-vax friends to make sure they hang out with vaccinated friends. That just might protect their kids from their crazy ideologies and these deadly illnesses that vaccines prevent.
3) Educate others on what sensationalism is, and how important it is to seek knowledge and clarification for ourselves.
4) Keep watching the news for updates. I am not denying the potential dangers of a massive, irreversible outbreak.
and 5) Remember smallpox. The threat still is real. And we have the cure.
Even as a health care professional, I read a few news articles and was genuinely concerned for myself as an emergency room nurse. I started to imagine us all walking around the ED in hazmat suits, preparing for a zombie apocalypse.
So what was the next logic step? Meh. I panicked next.
What was the next truly logical step? I went to the CDC's updated website page on the Measles outbreak.
Here's that link: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
What I found to be so interesting from their website is that there have been yearly Measles outbreaks in the United States for a long time now. The web page link shows the number of yearly cases since back in 2010, with various results.
Year: Cases:
2010 63
2011 220
2012 55
2013 187
2014 667
2015 188
2016 86
2017 118
2018 107
So as you can see, there have been fluctuations. 2011 seemed like maybe a scary year, but it was followed by 2012 and only 55 cases. 2018 looks like it will end up being a moderately severe year for outbreaks.
I was able to wipe the sweat from my brow when I realized that I don't have to start digging a bunker in my backyard, this is nothing new. So I spent some time reflecting on how dangerous fantastical news headings can be. How many other people read the exact same news article that I did, proceeded to panic, and then never searched for any more answers. Now they are still sitting in a puddle of panic and I am reminded that things are hardly as terrible as they seem.
Sensationalized healthcare news can be dangerous. But maybe it can also be advantageous? The vast majority of these cases, like the really vast majority of these cases, occurred in people that were not vaccinated against measles.
What can we do about this?
1) Vaccinate our peeps. Keep our families and friends protected
2) Educate those that don't want to vaccinate about the benefits of vaccination. And then if they aren't budging, teach them about the importance of herd immunity.
*Sidenote: tell your anti-vax friends to make sure they hang out with vaccinated friends. That just might protect their kids from their crazy ideologies and these deadly illnesses that vaccines prevent.
3) Educate others on what sensationalism is, and how important it is to seek knowledge and clarification for ourselves.
4) Keep watching the news for updates. I am not denying the potential dangers of a massive, irreversible outbreak.
and 5) Remember smallpox. The threat still is real. And we have the cure.
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