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What Vaccine Refusal Really Costs: Measles in Arizona

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cleanhippie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 10:13 AM
Original message
What Vaccine Refusal Really Costs: Measles in Arizona
Every once in a while, there’s news of a measles outbreak. On the surface, they don’t involve large numbers of cases — there’s one in Minneapolis right now that has racked up 21 cases so far — and so people seem to wonder why these outbreaks are such a big deal.

Here’s one reason why: Measles transmission within the US stopped in 2000 because of vaccination. Outbreaks here start with an importation from somewhere else where the disease still flourishes — but they gain a foothold because lack of vaccination, primarily from vaccine refusal, lets the disease get past what should be an impregnable barrier of herd immunity to attack those who are too young to be vaccinated or whose immunity has faded.

Here’s another reason: Stopping the measles virus before it can cause serious disease — and by “serious,” I mean deafness, pneumonia, encephalitis and miscarriage — is incredibly costly and labor-intensive. An account published overnight in the Journal of Infectious Diseases gives a glimpse at just how costly. To stop a 14-person outbreak that began with one unvaccinated tourist visiting a US emergency room, the Arizona Department of Health had to track down and interview 8,321 people; seven Tucson hospitals had to furlough staff members for a combined 15,120 work-hours; and two hospitals where patients were admitted spent $799,136 to contain the disease.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/cost-vaccine-refusal/
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Frances Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 10:18 AM
Response to Original message
1. There was no measles vaccine when I was a child
My brother is deaf because of measles

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xchrom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 10:35 AM
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2. recommend
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kickysnana Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 10:57 AM
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3. Good vaccines are a good thing.
Edited on Mon May-09-11 11:07 AM by kickysnana
Our current group of pharmaceutical companies are corrupt. THEY KNEW that the LymeRix vaccine ca 1997 was based on a surface protein that in about 20% of the population caused permanent incurable arthritis and as it turned out it affect other parts of the body, nerves, heart, glands with the guinea pigs including children's lives in ruins. Other safer vaccines were in trials but THE FDA/CDC had monetary ties to the LymeRix vaccine as do the self-proclaimed non-treating Lyme experts, Steere, Wormser, Bacchen (sp) etc.

Our Congress gave the makers immunity from lawsuits. They no longer have reason to make the best vaccine, only the cheapest.

The damning of the "antivaccers" is a well programmed propaganda tool paid for by these companies as cost effective business building. Think about it.

If you think that the monsters that were not held accountable for what is happening in America had the chance to use the new mandatory vaccine law as a cheap alternative to gas chambers you are living in lala land and probably deserve what you get.

I had measles as a child. I went almost totally blind and deaf for two weeks but I recovered. I have recorded damage with my brain and nerves I have had to overcome. I do not want my grandkids to get measles but I want manufacturers to be held accountable if they deliberately or negligently harm people.

That is the only way I will encourage vaccination. Right now I feel the risks are too great for me to make that decision for others and that they should have the right to make that decision even if it means their children might become ill. Life is risk. Freedom is being allowed to take those informed risks to make you and your family's life better.

PS. If you think your infant may be at risk use common sense about taking it out in public when illness is around. Perhaps you don't need to go to church every week, use your parental leave or Grandma could take care the baby until it is old enough for shots. Lets not allow them to use our kids against us.

PPS. I also watched a fellow volunteer WAC in 1971 drop in shock and die in front of me because they announced mandatory DPT shots on a Sunday evening for the next morning and said anyone who did not take a shot would be court marshaled and do time. She had a history of reaction that did not get put on her record and her doctor did not get back to them before the time for the immunizations. Not everyone was a rebel in 1970, a lot were rule followers to the end. We were outside on a sidewalk far away from the medical facility. They had nothing for shock available. Oh well, whats the loss? They had so many more naive volunteers and draftees available to replace her.
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CanSocDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 12:21 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. Good post.


We all got measles in the 50's but I don't remember a state of panic like the OP suggests. I was told my eyesight suffered and I have worn glasses ever since. Big Deal....I can still see. However, I missed out on the MUMPS epidemic when all the kids were getting it, and reached adulthood where the threat to reproduction organs is, apparently, very high.

This was known by the parents of the day and I remember visiting inflicted friends, encouraged by Dr.Mom, vaguely hoping to be struck down by the 'disease du jour'....

Luckily,at my age, healthy "reproduction organs", are no longer a concern.

.


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mzmolly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-28-11 11:18 PM
Response to Reply #3
13. Well
stated.
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 07:13 PM
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5. Deleted message
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HuckleB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 08:26 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. +1
They're already here.
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laconicsax Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 09:12 PM
Response to Original message
7. You know, all these stories about measles outbreaks in unvaccinated populations makes me wonder...
Is there a correlation between anti-vaccination and disease?

:think:
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cleanhippie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon May-09-11 09:29 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. I'm willing to say that its MORE than correlation, but full-on CAUSATION!
Yeah, I said it.
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 09:55 AM
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9. Deleted message
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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 10:30 AM
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10. Deleted message
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mzmolly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-28-11 10:30 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. Did you note the age of the people who were first impacted?
Edited on Sat May-28-11 11:15 PM by mzmolly
How about where the disease was initially spread?

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mzmolly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat May-28-11 10:28 PM
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11. The moral of the story is that adults should have their measles boosters.
Edited on Sat May-28-11 10:32 PM by mzmolly
And/or, that emergency rooms should have better procedures to reduce disease transmission, like handing out masks to patients in waiting rooms.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/communicable/providers/MeaslesControl.aspx

Measles is spread through droplet transmission from the nose, throat, and mouth of someone who is infected with the virus.

Vaccination isn't the only avenue toward disease prevention. It's a shame society appears to have forgotten that.

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HuckleB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 02:52 PM
Response to Original message
14. Kick.
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laconicsax Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-09-11 03:42 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. Hey, you're back! n/t
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HuckleB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-10-11 01:14 PM
Response to Reply #15
16. Well, I'm stopping by, anyway.
Cheers! :toast:
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