Let’s break down what would happen if RFK Jr. got his antivax wishes about letting people get “natural immunity” in the US.
In 2023, there were an estimated 107,500 measles deaths globally, mostly among unvaccinated or under vaccinated children under the age of 5 years. (WHO)
Reported Complications
- Eye problems
- Conjunctivitis – It is characterized by redness and watery eyes, and is commonly present in most measles patients.
- Keratitis – It is an infection in the cornea, which is more dangerous compared to conjunctivitis.
- Corneal Scarring – The measles virus or bacterial infection can cause corneal ulcers or open sores in front of the eye. They look like white dots on the front of the eyes and can leave opaque scar tissue that may affect vision and even lead to blindness.
- Retinopathy – In rare cases, the measles virus destroys the retina, causing temporary and permanent vision loss.
- Blindness – Measles is one of the leading causes of childhood blindness in developing countries.
- Common complications
- Ear infections 1:10 (can result in permanent hearing loss)
- Diarrhea 1:10
- Rates in children
- Severe diarrhea 8:100
- Pneumonia 1:20
- Encephalitis 1:1000
- Hospitalization 1:4
- Death 1-2:1000
- Subacute sclerosingpanencephalitis (SSPE) 4-11:100,000
- A very rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system that results from a measles virus infection acquired earlier in life.
- Generally develops 7 to 10 years after a person has measles, even though the person seems to have fully recovered from the illness.
Using the above rates, and about 73 million children in the US, the results among children of an unvaccinated population getting measles would be (for things we know the rates of)
- Common complications
- Ear infections 7,300,000
- Diarrhea 7,300,000
- Rates in children
- Severe diarrhea 5,840,000
- Pneumonia 3,650,000
- Encephalitis 73,000
- Hospitalizations 18,250,000
- Deaths 73,000-146,000
- Subacute sclerosingpanencephalitis (SSPE) 2,920-8,030
Remember that the above numbers are just for children. The actual burden of disease in the US starting with an unvaccinated population would be much higher.
It’s also worth noting that the reproductive number for measles is 12-18, which means that each individual case causes 12-18 more infections. It’s the kind of disease that would spread faster than wildfire in an unvaccinated population, quickly leading to overwhelming healthcare, subsequently causing much more disease and death indirectly.
Keep in mind too that with an antivaccine approach, this would just be the starting point. We would keep causing this kind of harm going forward, increasing all of these numbers.
Prior Financial Costs
The Ghoul
Maybe he wants kids to be put on ECMO. It acts as an artificial lung.
RFK Jr’s lies have already led to 83 deaths in Samoa because of his antivaccine activities. Why are we putting this monster in charge of HHS?
IMPEACH HIM!
