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Measles Outbreak Tied To Texas Megachurch

Posted by Soulskill on from the stop-being-bad-at-science dept.

New submitter the eric conspiracy sends this quote from NBC: "An outbreak of measles tied to a Texas megachurch where ministers have questioned vaccination has sickened at least 21 people, including a 4-month-old infant — and it's expected to spread further, state and federal health officials said. 'There's likely a lot more susceptible people,' said Dr. Jane Seward, the deputy director for the viral diseases division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... All of the cases are linked to the Eagle Mountain International Church in Newark, Texas, where a visitor who'd traveled to Indonesia became infected with measles – and then returned to the U.S., spreading it to the largely unvaccinated church community, said Russell Jones, the Texas state epidemiologist. ... Terri Pearsons, a senior pastor of Eagle Mountain International said she has had concerns about possible ties between early childhood vaccines and autism. In the wake of the measles outbreak, however, Pearsons has urged followers to get vaccinated and the church has held several vaccination clinics. ... 'In this community, these cases so far are all in people who refused vaccination for themselves and their children,' [Steward] added. The disease that once killed 500 people a year in the U.S. and hospitalized 48,000 had been considered virtually eradicated after a vaccine introduced in 1963. Cases now show up typically when an unvaccinated person contracts the disease abroad and spreads it upon return to the U.S."

7 of 622 comments (clear)

  1. As usual. by nospam007 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Think of it as evolution in action.

    1. Re:As usual. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Please check which option you'd like:
      [ ] vaccinations
      [x] Darwin Award registration

    2. Re:As usual. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      One of the members of the church visited Indonesia and brought it back.

      Seems like a fair trade. One of them got a virulent disease that's been plaguing mankind for thousands of years, and the other one got measles.

    3. Re:As usual. by mjwx · · Score: 5, Funny

      One of the oldest rules of survival - STUPID ANIMALS DIE!!!!

      Only up to a point. Natural selection works both ways. Stupid animals may die because they make stupid mistakes. But smart animals may also be under a disadvantage because their more active brain consumes more energy, and the curiosity that comes with intelligence may get them in trouble. If wild animals, such as rats, are captured, selectively bred to improve their intelligence, and then released, they will regress to their original level. So you want to be smart, but not too smart.

      Not really, smarter animals are more often in trouble when stupid animals die because they used the stupid animal as a staple food source.

      Not that I propose eating anti-vaxxers... Who knows what diseases they might have.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  2. cases are in people who refused vaccination ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Interesting!

    It's almost as if these "vaccines" actually work!

    Maybe these "vaccines" were intelligently designed or something!

  3. Re: Just goes to show... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well his disciples preferred Honda. "They were all with one accord - Acts 2:1"

  4. Re:Just goes to show... by bitt3n · · Score: 5, Funny

    You could start by refusing medical advice from a pastor...

    What a silly statement. Was it not a pastor who discovered the very principle of vaccination? Louis Pastor, I believe.

    --
    how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?