When questioned about a growing measles outbreak in West Texas that has claimed at least one life, Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters “we have measles outbreaks every year.”

      • running_ragged@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Outbreak also had a technical meaning.

        Outbreak: When there are more disease cases than what is usually expected:

        • For a given time (e.g., within 2 weeks)

        • Within a specific location (e.g., linked by institution, affiliation, exposure, small geographic area)

        If outbreaks were normal, it wouldn’t be an outbreak.

          • running_ragged@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Fair. But that is using a different definition for outbreak that whats shown on CDCs definition page.

            • krashmo@lemmy.world
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              Are you surprised by the lack of consistency or frustrated that we have to live with it?

          • Zorque@lemmy.world
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            Because of two datapoints? You need more than two years, one of which isn’t even done yet, to make that kind of determination.

          • John Richard@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            That is a problem Democrats have. They have a holier-than-thou complex and then even when they are proven wrong, they refuse reality because they can’t imagine ever being wrong.

            • SamboT@lemmy.world
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              I was with you in your other comments and then you had to generalize an entire population of people. Hivemind idiots on the internet doesnt mean you can do that.

              • John Richard@lemmy.world
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                20 hours ago

                Not every Democrat is a hivemind idiot, but a big enough percentage that It contributed to their loss. Harris was one as well. Biden, “you ain’t black” definitely.

                • SamboT@lemmy.world
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                  20 hours ago

                  You have no idea the distribution of idiocy between Republicans and Democrats give me a break. Its all vibe based on your specific newsfeed.

                  With a constantly changing narrative for each party im not sure how people even associate themselves with either party outside of voting for president/congress/senate. The more specific you get the more irrelevant it becomes.

      • the_q@lemm.ee
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        19 hours ago

        The point is the number keeps going up as the antivax crowd continues to seep into positions of power like RFK.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      Longer that that I think. I’m 54 and am just now learning what measles is, hadn’t much of a clue. Disease that makes kids spotty and not my fucking problem because we were all vaccinated? Kinda like grandma’s smallpox scar. “Fuck is that?!”

      • Snowclone@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        I remember it being really strange to me as a kid that there were a lot of film and TV shows where a kid would get either the measles or mumps and then have padded cheeks, and I had no idea what these illnesses were and never heard of anyone getting them. I think my mom at some point said it was more common in the 60s or 70s. That was back in the 80s mostly they really don’t even show up in any 90s written stuff, and I’m sure a lot of it was reruns from the 60s or old teen comedies, (not the sexy or unedited for TV kind)

        These fuckers really want to bring back the 50s polio and all.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
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    Smallpox could come back and these fuckers would point at numbers 150 years ago and say it’s not unusual.

    Who am I kidding: they don’t even have to point at numbers. They just say the lie enough times.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    Yes the fuck it is, measles was a thing of the fucken past. The reality these fools construct is frustrating.

      • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
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        Measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country.

        Literally from the article you just posted.

        • John Richard@lemmy.world
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          The person I responded literally said it was a thing of the past. They are wrong. You are in denial. If actually clicked on what eliminated means, it clearly states that it means it does not continue to spread for more than 12 months. That means, as long as an outbreak stops spreading within a 12 month period then it is still considered eliminated.

          • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
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            What’s your point? A couple hundred cases a year is a data point and according to the CDC (but what do they know?) makes it effectively eliminated in the US. The only way to get it was leaving the country and coming back with it. That is for all intents and purposes a thing of the past. It’s cute how badly you want to be right about this but you just aren’t.

            • John Richard@lemmy.world
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              19 hours ago

              But what does the CDC know?

              They know a lot more than you, that is for damn sure.

              The only way to get it was leaving the country and coming back with it.

              The most common way to get it is is leaving the country & contracting it.

              It doesn’t mean that people still can’t get it other ways since it is a viral infection and still can spread.

              Did you know that if all 350 million Americans are vaccinated against measles that 10.5 million of them are still able to catch it?

              • ThunderWhiskers@lemmy.world
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                19 hours ago

                Are you fucking brain damaged?

                Obviously the CDC knows more than I do about communicable diseases, that’s why I made that sarcastic reply while agreeing with their findings. You were the one that was questioning their language.

                It flat out says in that quote the only new cases were from individuals that had traveled outside the country and contracted the disease there. That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to spread otherwise, it means that it did not happen. That was up until a bunch of dipshits started deciding that they their kids didn’t need the measles vaccine.

                The whole point of herd immunity is vaccinating everyone so that the probability of anyone catching it is so low that it is eradicated from the populace. If no one has it, there is nothing available to catch. If only a few people have it then the vast majority of vaccinated individuals either will not catch it or will have drastically diminished symptoms. This is not that difficult.

                • uid0gid0@lemmy.world
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                  16 hours ago

                  Are you fucking brain damaged?

                  Measles encephalitis can do that to you, so if he’s not vaccinated there is a possibility.

            • John Richard@lemmy.world
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              20 hours ago

              Semantics? More like facts. Apparently they aren’t important to salty Democrats anymore.

      • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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        Measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning there is no measles spreading within the country and new cases are only found when someone contracts measles abroad and returns to the country.

        Nope

        • John Richard@lemmy.world
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          Yes the fuck it is, measles was a thing of the fucken past. The reality these fools construct is frustrating.

          Nope

          Why don’t you go click on the link that explains what elimination is when it comes to measles. It doesn’t mean there has been no new cases as you’re trying to claim.

          Your statement is wrong. You are wrong. If you can’t admit reality, then stay in denial as long as you need to.

          • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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            Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. This meant the absence of the continuous spread of disease was greater than 12 months. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region.

            You egg

              • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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                And when I said “a thing of the past” you assumed I meant it exists in no capacity. When what that means is its not a problem anymore.

                • John Richard@lemmy.world
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                  And when I said “a thing of the past” you assumed I meant it exists in no capacity

                  Prob because that is exactly what “a thing of the past” means by definition.

  • Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io
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    Funny how the numbers don’t actually back up what the “HHS Secretary” is saying. One would think he would be able to access this data, and speak factually. Maybe he’s not that good at using search engines. I searched “measles cases US historically” on DDG, and chose the first result. Sometimes that sort of lengthy and involved process can be difficult, for some people, at some times. Maybe RFK jr. isn’t well suited to this position.

    Measles cases in the United States https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-measles-cases

    Edit: I’m thinking I’ll use quotes to indicate these “post turtles” when they come up in discourse, to indicate that they really aren’t where they are suppose to be.

    Post Turtle: A “post turtle” refers to a metaphor used in political discourse to describe someone in a position of power who is there due to external support rather than their own abilities, suggesting they are out of their depth and unable to function effectively. The phrase originates from a joke about a turtle balanced on a fence post, implying it didn’t get there by itself.

  • Boomer Humor Doomergod@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    It’s not unusual to give pox to anyone

    🎺🎺🎺

    It’s not unusual to give polio to them

    So when I see out and about unvaccinated, it’s not unusual to see me cry

    You’re gonna die