Pharma-Sponsored Media Launches Measles Fear Campaign Based on Distorted Science
Media-driven panic over measles ignores real risks, natural disease patterns, and the role of vaccine shedding.
A google search for ‘measles’ reveals the coordinated fear campaign propagated by pharma-sponsored mass media:
Is there a reason to cower in fear as the news suggests and rush to get MMR booster shots? No, especially not for healthy children. However, we must remember that children with multiple comorbidities can face serious outcomes, as with any disease. It’s important to approach these discussions with a level-headed assessment of individual risk rather than reacting to sensationalized headlines.
Measles outbreaks occur every year across the United States despite 90.8% MMR vaccine uptake:
Shedding of measles vaccine RNA is a recognized phenomenon, with detectable levels in nasopharyngeal samples for up to 29 days post-vaccination (Washam et al). This shedding results from the replication of the attenuated vaccine virus, which can be transmitted to close contacts:
Routine isolation practices recommend by the CDC for all measles cases, regardless of severity, will drastically inflate hospitalization rates, making the virus appear more dangerous to the layperson:
What is the actual risk of measles-related hospitalization due to illness? A study by Miller, published in England using data from 1963—prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine—found a hospitalization rate of 11.5 per 1,000 cases and a mortality rate of 0.2 per 1,000 cases. In comparison, seasonal influenza has a hospitalization rate of 10–20 per 1,000 cases and a mortality rate of 0.5–2 per 1,000 cases.
Additionally, prior research summarized in the extensively referenced book Dissolving Illusions by Bystrianyk and Humphries indicates that measles-related deaths in children are overwhelmingly linked to malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency.
A recent report on the first U.S. measles death in the current outbreak highlights a major issue with media-driven fear campaigns. The report does not specify measles as the cause of death but simply states that the individual "tested positive" for the virus. Without full transparency on underlying health conditions or contributing factors, this case must undergo a full and independent review to determine the true cause of death.
It appears that the primary purpose of this fear campaign is to sow distrust in the new HHS administration and increase MMR vaccine uptake. Gao et al demonstrated that higher public fear = higher vaccine uptake:
However, as of 2024, 69% of Americans have no trust or very little trust in mainstream media. Thus, this fear campaign is doomed to fail.
Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation
www.mcculloughfnd.org
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OMG, my MIL has had CBS news on and they are CONSTANTLY talking about this measles outbreak and the need to vaccinate. The fear porn is overwhelming.
Vitamin A deficiency has long been known as a co-morbidity for measles in children. Low dose supplements in school aged children is a simple prophylaxis.
But BP can't make any money off that.