Geoff_M
DIS Veteran, DVC Member, "Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2000
The recognized mortality rate for measles is 1 in 500 cases. We've been lucky in the US (iirc, every 40 minutes each day in the rest of the world someone dies of the illnes) because of the relative lack of cases due to vaccinations. By contrast in the mid-1960's right before the approval of the vaccine (not quite the medical stone age and we had clean water then too) over 400 people, mostly children, died from measles in the US each year.This woman died from measles. That's one in 318.9 million people. She was the first to die in 12 years. While it's sad that she died, I see no reason to freak out. 3,287 people die, on average, each day in car wrecks. That's 15,600,000 in the same time frame. Riding in a car seems more dangerous than measles.
And death is just one outcome. About 25% of people that contract measles will suffer neurological complications... many that will be long-term. The details are in the CDC "pink book" for measles.
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