Have you heard what Joseph Ladapo, the Surgeon General of Florida, has said about their ongoing measles outbreak?
It has a lot of health experts scratching their heads…
Joseph Ladapo on the Florida Measles Outbreak
To be fair, Joseph Ladapo does get several things right about measles, including that:
- Individuals with a history of prior infection or vaccination who have received the full series of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) immunization are 98% protected and are unlikely to contract measles. – True
- Up to 90% of individuals without immunity will contract measles if exposed. – True
- Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period… – True
- When measles is detected in a school, it is normally recommended that individuals without history of prior infection or vaccination stay home for up to 21 days. – This is mostly true – although they sometimes have to stay home under quarantine for up to 42 days or two incubation periods
- …the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school… – True. Missing several months of school is a big burden for children and their families. That’s why most choose to get their kids vaccinated and protected!
He gets a lot of things really wrong too!
- …due to the high immunity rate in the community… – False. The immunity rate in the community is not very high. In fact, although we don’t know exactly how many kids in this school are fully vaccinated and protected against measles, only 89% of kindergarten students are vaccinated. That’s well below herd immunity levels of protection needed to prevent outbreaks of measles.
- All children presenting with symptoms of illness should not attend school until symptoms have fully subsided without medication. – Children with measles can be contagious for up to four days before they have a rash and even know that they have measles, and up to four days after the rash appears. Waiting for exposed and susceptible kids to develop symptoms before they are sent home leads to a lot of other people getting exposed.
- DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance. – What? Florida already allows parents to easily get immunization exemptions and now they want to allow intentionally unvaccinated children to stay in school during outbreaks? What about the risk to children and adults with true medical exemptions who can’t be vaccinated?
What doesn’t Joseph Ladapo say?
As this Florida elementary school confirms its 6th case, he fails to mention that the school is holding multiple vaccination events to get kids caught up.
He also fails to mention that a dose of the MMR vaccine, if given within 72 hours of exposure, can protect you from getting measles!
Nor does he mention that measles is a life-threatening disease!
More on Joseph Ladapo
- The Brady Bunch Measles Episode
- Remembering Measles
- Why Are You Still Worried About the MMR Vaccine?
- Costs of a Measles Outbreak
- The Unvaccinated Child
- Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About Immunizations
- CDC – Stay Alert for Measles Cases
- WHO – Global measles threat continues to grow as another year passes with millions of children unvaccinated
- Measles transmission during a large outbreak in California
- Broward County Immunization Coverage
- DOH-BROWARD ISSUES MEASLES HEALTH ADVISORY
- Measles erupts in Florida school where 11% of kids are unvaccinated
- Immunization Levels in Florida Kindergartens
- CBS News Miami looks at South Florida school vaccination rates, health concerns
- Unvaccinated Florida kids exposed to measles can skip quarantine, officials say
- Another Year, Another Measles Outbreak
- No Vaccine? No Problem! Florida Wants Your Unvaccinated Kids In School During a Measles Outbreak