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CDC Deputy Director Unclear On How It's *His* Job To Prevent Contagious Diseases Like Measles
https://www.wonkette.com/p/cdc-deputy-director-unclear-on-howRobyn Pennacchia
Dr. Ralph Abraham has said measles are just 'the cost of doing business'
As of Tuesday, there have been 876 cases in South Carolina's measles outbreak, making it the largest outbreak in the United States since the disease was first considered eradicated in 2000. So far, no one has died, but who knows how long that will remain the case. A Texas ICE detention center in which 300 children are currently imprisoned also reported two cases this week, so that will probably end really well.
Earlier this month, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed criticizing CDC Principal Deputy Director Ralph Abraham for having callously dismissed measles as "the cost of doing business" -- sort of like how dead children are just the price we have to pay for the Second Amendment -- blaming recent outbreaks on "our borders being somewhat porous [and] global and international travel."
Now, that used to (sort of!) be the case. We'd have measles outbreaks because someone from some country where they don't vaccinate passed it on to an unvaccinated kid at Disneyland. Those outbreaks, at that point, would be relatively small, because the majority of kids were vaccinated, and pretty much everyone from both sides of the aisle agreed that the parents of unvaccinated kids ought to be ashamed of themselves.
But now, as the WSJ pointed out, only two percent of US cases originate from abroad now. These outbreaks are also much larger than they used to be, because these days, not vaccinating your kids is a badge of honor for a large percentage of Republicans. Last year, we hit a 34-year high of over 2200 cases, and we're already well on track to beat that this year.
. . .
Earlier this month, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed criticizing CDC Principal Deputy Director Ralph Abraham for having callously dismissed measles as "the cost of doing business" -- sort of like how dead children are just the price we have to pay for the Second Amendment -- blaming recent outbreaks on "our borders being somewhat porous [and] global and international travel."
Now, that used to (sort of!) be the case. We'd have measles outbreaks because someone from some country where they don't vaccinate passed it on to an unvaccinated kid at Disneyland. Those outbreaks, at that point, would be relatively small, because the majority of kids were vaccinated, and pretty much everyone from both sides of the aisle agreed that the parents of unvaccinated kids ought to be ashamed of themselves.
But now, as the WSJ pointed out, only two percent of US cases originate from abroad now. These outbreaks are also much larger than they used to be, because these days, not vaccinating your kids is a badge of honor for a large percentage of Republicans. Last year, we hit a 34-year high of over 2200 cases, and we're already well on track to beat that this year.
. . .
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