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Texas Lawmaker not Worried about Measles because of ‘Antibiotics'

posted by mrpg on Thursday February 28 2019, @04:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the Brawndo-Has-What-Plants-Crave dept.

DannyB writes:

Texas lawmaker says he's not worried about measles outbreak because of ‘antibiotics'

Texas state representative Bill Zedler says a resurgence of measles across the U.S. isn't worrying him.

Zedler, R-Arlington, is promoting legislation that would allow Texans to opt out of childhood vaccinations.

“They want to say people are dying of measles. Yeah, in Third World countries they’re dying of measles,” Zedler said, the Texas Observer reports. “Today, with antibiotics and that kind of stuff, they’re not dying in America.”

There is no treatment for measles, a highly contagious virus that can be fatal. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections and can't kill viruses.

It could be funny if it weren't so tragic.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 01 2019, @02:12AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 01 2019, @02:12AM (#808519)

    Anyhow, basically the difference between measles and smallpox or polio (the other disease aimed for in vaccinations) is the measles is a lot more contagious. It requires something more like 95% vaccination to get herd immunity and stop spreading, compared to 80-85% for smallpox and polio. And the characteristics of the vaccine make it harder to inoculate throughout random parts of the third world compared to polio (which takes a few drops orally, compared to measles which requires a reconsituted injection that goes bad quickly).

    Well, it isn't just measles. It is every single thing on this list: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/vaccines-age.html [cdc.gov]

    You are saying all of those vaccines/viruses have special properties that make them more difficult than polio and smallpox to eradicate?

  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 01 2019, @10:05AM

    by khallow (3766) on Friday March 01 2019, @10:05AM (#808620) Journal

    You are saying all of those vaccines/viruses have special properties that make them more difficult than polio and smallpox to eradicate?

    Apparently, not diphtheria, which is on your list - that had only 4500 reported cases in 2015. And given how hard it is to eradicate polio, I'm not surprised that we're taking a while with the other diseases that can be eradicated.

  • (Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Friday March 01 2019, @01:03PM (1 child)

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Friday March 01 2019, @01:03PM (#808651) Journal

    Do you have any freakin' clue how hard global eradication is? Read up on the history of smallpox eradication -- how much effort it took, how many rights were violated and people forcibly vaccinated against their will, how workers had to travel on foot to remote places and convince (sometimes coerce) people to allow them to be vaccinated while field methods had to be invented to make sure vaccination could still be effective in varying remote conditions...

    It's astounding that it managed to succeed. For a disease as easily transmitted as measles, it's amazing we've gotten as far as we have. Read up on some history rather than just assuming someone waves a.magic wand and all of humanity around the global is vaccinated.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 01 2019, @02:54PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 01 2019, @02:54PM (#808694)

      Do you have any freakin' clue how hard global eradication is?

      Yes, if you are going to do something do it right. The original justification for eradication of measles was indeed because it would be a great achievement:

      To those who ask me, "Why do you wish to eradicate measles?," I reply with the same answer that Hillary used when asked why he wished to climb Mt. Everest. He said, "Because it is there." To this may be added, ". . and it can be done."

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1522578/ [nih.gov]

      That is a reason to do something, not a reason to stop trying. The 1960s were a better time I guess though.