At least 49 cases have been confirmed. Health officials — who are scrambling to get a handle on the vaccine-preventable outbreak — suspect 200 to 300 people may be infected.

Summary

A measles outbreak in rural West Texas has surged to 49 confirmed cases, mostly among unvaccinated school-age children, with officials suspecting hundreds more unreported infections.

The outbreak is centered in Gaines County, home to a large Mennonite population with low vaccination rates. Despite CDC support, Texas has not requested federal intervention.

The outbreak has now spread to Lubbock, raising wider public health concerns.

Experts warn it could persist for months without increased vaccination efforts, but skepticism toward vaccines remains a significant barrier.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
    13·
    5 days ago

    The truly OG anti-vaxxers had some among them that thought it was against their god’s will to combat disease, if you can fucking believe it (people are stupid and horrible, it turns out):

    https://newrepublic.com/article/121000/puritanical-roots-anti-vaxxer-movement-go-back-300-years

    To treat small pox was seen as a form of blasphemy—a moral evil that refused to recognize that epidemics were acts of God.

    I just don’t understand how such a “god” could be worthy of worship, then. Imagine losing 9 children before they reached adulthood. I’d flip this “god” of theirs the bird, and try the cure, thankyouveryfuckingmuch.