April 29, 2019: Trump is a Vaccine-Denier

 

4/29/19: Speaking of medical decisions, measles cases in the U.S. have surged to more than 700 this year. The virus, declared eradicated in this country in 2000, has reemerged in 22 states. One center of infection is the Orthodox Jewish population in New York City, with nearly 400 cases. Hundreds of college students in Los Angeles are under quarantine as measles spread. So are passengers and crew aboard the Freewinds, a cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology. 

Health officials fault President Trump in part since he has said that childhood vaccinations cause autism. 

 

 

Praise for saying what experts have been saying for decades. 

On Monday, however, the Science-Moron-in-Chief told reporters to spread the word. Children “have to get the shots. The vaccinations are so important. This is really going around now. They have to get their shots.” 

Reporters questioned HHS Secretary Alex Azar about the outbreak. Naturally – this is the Trump Administration – Azar praised his boss for saying what experts had been saying for decades: “The president is very clear that children should get their shots, that parents should make sure they are up to date.” 

Azar shrugged off the president’s statements, as recently as 2016, linking vaccinations to autism, saying they were based on a “debate about this issue but it’s been settled. The scientific community generated definitive information so we can reassure every parent there is no link.” 

The debate was settled decades ago and not just since 2016. 

Sixty-six children have been hospitalized this year with serious medical complications related to measles.

 

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IN OTHER NEWS, a 19-year-old man armed with an AR-15, storms into a synagogue in Poway, California and kills or wounds four. Republicans offer up “thoughts and prayers.” 

Since their party is in thrall to the N.R.A., we can never take any action on guns, no matter how logical or how small the step.

BLOGGER’S NOTE (5/14/22): While editing this blog, I thought it might be good to note some of the complications that may result from measles infections. 

Brain swelling in children can lead to permanent hearing loss. For every 1,000 children infected, 1-3 will die. One in five infected persons, of all ages, will be hospitalized. Pregnant women may give birth prematurely.