I am so disheartened that decades of solid public health work are being flushed down the toilet by a few powerful people that think they have the answers...I don't know how they sleep at night.
I'm worried that the propagandists will try to blame this new abnormal response to measles on MRNA shots. Can you explore in the future ways to comment that angle?
Unfortunately, you are likely to see some propagandists respond in these comments. I always consider where a comment might be coming from. In fact, I noticed at least one anti-vax commenter has his own Substack, and also has a misleading website supported by Children's Health Defense. I expect he might feel a need to show up here
This is not an abnormal response, measles broke out in Texas because it has the most uninsured people in the US, and a large majority of these people don't or can't afford to vaccinate their children. I read an article where they discovered someone with measles getting off a plane in Houston Saturday.
Katelyn can correct me, but I don't think any of the children who have gotten measles in this outbreak have been vaccinated.
I live in TX, and any poor child can get Medicaid, which provides free vaccinations. I'm also fairly certain that any Health Unit provides them free of charge. The majority of cases are Mennonites, a more modern offshoot of the Amish. I don't think their beliefs prohibit the use of modern medicine. Another thing is that the women/mothers are poorly educated since they only raise vegetables and children, and don't have much power to make decisions. Terrible situation where the misinformed are now harming the rest of us.
My mom grew up Mennonite Brethren, and she said that typically neither Mennonite nor Amish beliefs prohibit doctors or vaccinations. However, they are culturally conservative and therefore are influenced from that direction.
I agree we have a crisis in healthcare of uninsured and Texas has not done much to help that problem. As for resources for the uninsured, the South Plains Public Health District has Vaccines For Children (VFC) immunization program that provides vaccines to uninsured and underinsured. This is a safety net program from the CDC for this very purpose, prevention of communicable diseases. Most health departments in the country have access and provide these services. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines-for-children/about/index.html and are held to a standard to provide to vulnerable populations. Of course, a health department needs capacity (supplies and RNs) to provide.
We in public health are crossing our fingers that Kennedy will keep his hands off this essential program. #supportpublichealth, #publichealth
Thanks for sharing, and good luck to you in rural Kansas. I know about the injunction and it is for certain COVID funds that were utilized to increase capacity in public health after the pandemic (because we won’t have another one for a 100 years🙄). I am fearful for what else the administration will cut in a system that is already reeling from uncertainty and destabilization. Take care in Kansas. I❤️Labs too!
While the death of these children is truly tragic, I am having a very hard time mustering any sympathy for these communities. Religious extremism, as is widely found in the impacted areas in TX, thrives on ignorance and magical thinking. If the deaths of their own children is not enough to make them understand that vaccines are a safe, lifesaving "miracle" (to use their parlance) then nothing will move them. This is the same wilful ignorance seen during the pandemic when people refused vaccines even after the Covid vaccine became widely available, and then died from Covid. Some people are simply unreachable.
RFK isn't helping though. The Texas panhandle was running short on MMR vaccine a couple of weeks ago, while RFK was hiking in the New Hampshire mountains.
I never liked the phrase "religion is the opiate of the masses" before because I'm highly religious. But the misuse and abuse of Christianity that I've seen in the last ten years makes me really understand what it means. If you've been told "the Lord works in mysterious ways" and "everything that happens is God's will" then you won't see the very basic ways that leaders are misleading you, because it seems to be doubting your faith. I would change it to "religion is the opiate autocrats feed to the masses" (though that's likely what it means anyway). (For the record, Jesus would not have told us to pray for God's will to be done if everything that happens was God's will. God choosing not to stop bad things that result from people's free will still sometimes frustrates me, but I also value free will. And the brains God gave us. ;-) )
I *don't* understand what anti-vaxxers get out of having their own congregants die, though! I guess it just makes them look more powerful if they have "secret knowledge" that no one else has (because it's not real).
There is so much that I read nowadays that makes my head want to explode, including the things discussed in this post. Two things that have helped me keep things in perspective (sharing in case they help others):
I recently re-discovered Stoicism and highly recommend it. The Daily Stoic website is a great entry point.
Sometimes it helps to have a historical & sociological map for societal upheaval. Such a map was provided by the late professor Carlo Cipolla, who, in 1971, wrote what has become a relatively famous (in some circles) essay entitled, "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity". It has been one of the most helpful things I've read for grasping the forces at work during periods of decline. If you don't have time for the original essay, following is a link to the best (IMHO) short summary (non-paywalled), which also has a link to the full essay. It's spot on for where we find ourselves today in relation to measles (Malone, Kennedy & CHD are the Bandits.....). And is also applies to pretty much everything else going on.
Glad to hear it. I regularly re-read both the article and the original essay. It always helps me to use my energy better.
It's pretty mind-boggling that Cipolla wrote that essay ~50 years ago. But, then again, he was an economic historian, and obviously had a gift for discerning the underlying causes of economic and cultural decline.
As a Texan, father, grandfather, board certified pediatrician and retired public health official, we must insist the elected leaders and high ranking officials step up in the most visible and effective way.
I have seen news reports that Secretary Kennedy has endorsed measles vaccination. OK, but I have yet to hear this message straight from the horse's mouth; and more than once.
We must tell those who are abusing their power or shirking their sworn duties that the lives of those most precious to us are at stake and we will hold them accountable (at the polls) for any and all harm that their failures cause. Their cowardice and allegiance to the fame, fortune, privilege and power that the mis- and disinformation Algorithm has given them is clearly more important to them than the lives of the innocent, let alone the truth.
Only elected leaders can provide effective (that is, truth-based) Crisis Communication. They must inform the public of the serious nature of the threat; assure them of the competence of the medical and public health science that informs their guidance - such confidence is the essential predicate to trust and trust is the essential predicate to action; explain how vaccination benefits individuals and communities; and how failure to vaccinate endanger family and community.
Unless and until elected leaders and other high ranking officials convey this message, the stalwart efforts of public health - e.g., case contact investigation - are doomed and effective actions to end the outbreak are doomed along with it.
I'm in the mood to re-read "People of the Lie," the 1983 book by psychiatrist M. Scott Peck. The basic premise is that there a people among us who practice an especially harmful and deeply ingrained psychopathology such that their entire persona is based upon lying...lying about nearly everything. Lying is their essence and their modus operandi. Lying is how they take advantage of others wherever and whenever they can.
I think you should add a chart of the knock on health complications per 1000 cases of measles. It is actually easy for people to disregard 3 deaths. Not because they aren't tragic, but because the incidence is low. It is important to point out the entire range of lifetime health risk from this epidemic.
Dr. Jetelina, just a question. As measles rates rise, is there a possibility that the virus will mutate and make our vaccine no longer effective (or as effective?)
I am sad and angry at what is being done to our public health led by snake oil salesmen at the expense of our children. Enough is enough. I hope that state health departments start pushing back harder against the nonsense from the charlatans in charge at the federal level.
Thank you for keeping me well informed. We all haven't lost our minds and need to stick together to fight those who are taking advantage for their own personal agenda. They certainly are not out for the common good of all.
A major factor in vulnerability to infectious disease complications is the unsaturated fatty acid content of adipose tissue. For example, "Some COVID-19 patients go on to develop severe infection with organ failure, potentially leading to death, and one of the contributing factors appears to be toxicity from the release of stored unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), according to a small study in Gastroenterology.
Vijay P. Singh, MBBS, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues retrospectively looked at mortality and dietary and other factors in 15 COVID-19 patients, one of of whom died and seven of whom needed intensive care (ICU group). The rest were discharged home. They found that the ICU group had an early drop in serum calcium and albumin several days before ICU admission. Separately, on analyzing global COVID-19 mortality data and comparing it with 12 risk factors for mortality, they found unsaturated fat intake to be associated with increased mortality. This was based on the dietary fat patterns of 61 countries in the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization database. Surprisingly, they found saturated fats to be protective." https://www.medpagetoday.com/reading-room/aga/lower-gi/86940
Career federal nutrition scientists who write the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are fully behind the AHA's dietary advice. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38522617/
Bureaucrats in government health agencies want us to trust their policies. But we cannot do so as long as this dispute persists. "Is a particular dietary recommendation harming people in the U.S.? For almost 20 years, scientists have been arguing over whether Americans and others on a typical Western diet are eating too much of omega-6s, a class of essential fatty acids. Some experts, notably ones affiliated with the American Heart Association, credit our current intake of omega-6s with lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Others, which include biochemists, say the relatively high intake of omega-6 is a reason for a slew of chronic illnesses in the Western world, including asthma, various cancers, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease itself." https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/110212/an-essential-debate
In the final analysis, the quality of food that makes children and adults fat and diebetic makes children vulnerable to infectious disease complications. Time to let let saturated fat back into the food supply. https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/3/4/33
Consumption of saturated fat, or the lack thereof is not connected to the efficacy of a VERY effective vaccination and the previous VERY effective herd immunity as a result of this particular public health success with mmr. Please don't muddy the waters with diet/exercise information.
Vaccination teaches the immune system how to recognize the virus so it can fight it directly. The immune system on its own cannot produce antibodies or T cells that recognize the virus prior to infection, regardless of the nutritional state of the infected person. Immunization by vaccination teaches our immune systems something it could never learn without vaccination or infection. Infection of an unvaccinated person will also teach the immune system but the price paid is the infected person gets sick and transmits the virus to others. The sickness sometimes leads to hospitalization or even death, especially in unhealthy persons, but even in perfectly healthy persons. This is what science knows to be true. The measles virus will infect you regardless of your nutrition, but if you're healthy (and have good nutrition), you may not get as sick as an unhealthy person. The diets of many Americans can certainly be improved a lot, such as by reducing saturated fats which are known to cause cardiovascular diseases, but diet alone won't prevent infection by measles virus. You need to get vaccinated to do that. MMR vaccine is perfectly safe. I've received it twice with no ill effects, just like millions have. Trust the vaccine, not the spreaders of disinformation and lies who say otherwise.
This is why epidemiologists believe saturated fats clog arteries. "Linoleic acid (LA), as a part of the wider debate about saturated, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and health, continues to be at the center of controversy in the world of fatty acid research. A robust evidence base, however, demonstrates that higher intakes and blood levels of LA are associated with improved cardiometabolic health outcomes. LA lowers total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol when compared with saturated fatty acids and carbohydrates. Using large prospective datasets, higher blood levels of LA were associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and incident type-2 diabetes mellitus compared with lower levels, suggesting that, across the range of typical dietary intakes, higher LA is beneficial. Recent trials of LA-rich oils report favorable outcomes in people with common lipid disorders." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39267068/
Notice that higher LA is beneficial for the person who already has a 'lipid disorder'. Metabolcally healthy people need not be concerned about their saturated fat intake. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11450898/
In the final analysis, metabolically unhealthy people would do well to reduce their meat intake and up their oleic acid intake. This narrative explains why that approach is effective. "The Mediterranean diet is low in arachidonic acid and rich in healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats found in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), nuts and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, which has been shown to lower the risk of inflammation, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, and other degenerative diseases." https://advancedmolecularlabs.com/blogs/news/new-red-meat-study-controversy
Actually, Kennedy has only a social media understanding of health issues while his detractors have only a textbook understanding of same. That said, I favor allowing children to become infected with measles because "Current evidence suggests that immunity after the disease is life-long, whereas the response after two doses of measles-containing vaccine declines within 10–15 years." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33502929/
Writing with a scientist's deep understanding of molecular biology, genetics and virology and knowing Robert Malone personally, I can say with deep knowledge-based confidence that your, Malone's, and Kennedy's understanding of science and medicine is deeply flawed. Pushing these unscientific tropes is sending children to the hospital and killing some of them. It is all unnecessary. All that is needed is vaccination of 95% of children. It is perfectly safe, far more safe than letting measles spread unchecked. You are contributing to sickness and death but have convinced yourself otherwise by believing unsubstantiated claims.
Tell our son-in-law how perfectly safe measles vaccinations are. When he transferred from a Christian College to a University, he was inadvertently revaccinated with a measles vaccine. He became very sick and lapsed into a deep depression. His father had to bring him home where he could be treated and supported by family. The school eventually acknowledged its mistake and provided compensation. About two decades later he was accepted for a position as a college professor on condition that he be vaccinated for COVID-19. He applied to other schools. Do you think he had his two children vaccinated?
A deep understanding of molecular biology, genetics, and virology does not automatically translate into a deep understanding of how excess arachidonic acid intake affects immunity and alters cell metabolism. (web search - miRNA dysregulation arachidonic acid)
I'm sorry about your son in law's illness. My first college roommate had a similar experience and dropped out of college within a week and went home to family who helped him through his depression. He was not vaccinated. Major life changes are a common cause of such illnesses. They can include nausea, headaches, and variety of symptoms that might mimic myriad illnesses such as flu, etc. My roommate's experience is a single event, and while unfortunate, proves nothing, not even that lack of vaccination caused his illnesses. So, I won't claim that not being vaccinated caused his illnesses. It's an anecdote, from which no scientific conclusions can be drawn. It's the same for your son-in-law's illness. It provides only an anecdote, that may be suggestive to you, but cannot provide scientific guidance to anyone.
Similarly, I know people who were horrified that thousands of people died following administration of the Covid vaccine. Of course, a moment's thought reminds that 1) hundreds of millions (actually billions) of people around the world received a covid vaccine, and 2) many people died following administration every day. So, logic has it that some people who are vaccinated will die shortly after vaccination, purely by chance. So, vaccination and death can occur coincidentally. It doesn't offer any evidence that vaccination causes death, of course. However, properly constructed scientific studies have shown that few if any people die due to covid vaccination whereas 10-20 million people globally died of Covid. Which is more dangerous, getting vaccinated or not getting vaccinated? Scientifically, the answer is straightforward. Vaccination is safe and saved millions. We know that for a fact.
You are free to believe whatever you like, but you can't claim to have scientific evidence or knowledge when you don't. Jesus was a carpenter, but never claimed to be a scientist, or even a politician. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the thing's that are God's." Wise advice.
"That said, I favor allowing children to become infected with measles because "Current evidence suggests that immunity after the disease is life-long, whereas the response after two doses of measles-containing vaccine declines within 10–15 years.""
That's a great strategy - unless of course the child dies from contracting measles. Risking a child's life by not vaccinating them when there are highly effective vaccines available is tantamount to felony child abuse.
Note that there is risk either way. It may turn out that the same individuals at risk for complications after measles infection are at risk for complications after measles vaccination. We just don't kknow these things.
Actually we do know these things quite well. There are reams of studies showing that the MMR vaccine is both highly effective and safe. No vaccine is foolproof, and there are a tiny minority for whom there is an adverse reaction, but a statistically tiny chance of such a reaction is not a reason to expose an entire population to a potentially deadly disease. What we do know for certain sure is that there are 3 dead children because misguided parents followed the advice you are here advocating for.
Your posts here are a constant stream of anti-vax nonsense and internet lies and misinformation. It is pathetic. Stop with the misinformation campaign.
Our relatively new administration and the BILLIONAIRE pranksters that have been assembled to implement an agenda of chaos, despair and institutionalized BS from the top down are likely little interested in a couple of unvaccinated kids getting the BIG SLEEP.
I appreciate your efforts to cut through this fog of war.
A tragedy in so many ways. But the public health community is not responsible when our population ignores reality. Complacency after decades of no direct exposure to the seriousness of measles (and other vaccine preventable disease) has harsh consequences.
The misinformation during the covid epidemic certainly has lingering consequences for credibility, and that is worth remembering. Humility and respecting the dignity of those who choose risks is challenging. May those with truth manifest both.
There is accurate information about measles available to everyone, there are vaccines available, and there is good (if imperfect) guidance on where active cases are. Yes, the uneven response of parents and other members of the public is very sad, though some have followed the good advice that is available. Public health is not veterinary medicine. People do (and should) get to make there own choices, and not health people for them. The good news in a bad situation is that the people in public health have done their job well despite little constructive leadership, and they deserve our commendation for having done so. Please continue.
I am so disheartened that decades of solid public health work are being flushed down the toilet by a few powerful people that think they have the answers...I don't know how they sleep at night.
They sleep, we don't
Thank you for your ongoing trustworthy reporting. These are dangerous times for public health and so much else.
I'm worried that the propagandists will try to blame this new abnormal response to measles on MRNA shots. Can you explore in the future ways to comment that angle?
Unfortunately, you are likely to see some propagandists respond in these comments. I always consider where a comment might be coming from. In fact, I noticed at least one anti-vax commenter has his own Substack, and also has a misleading website supported by Children's Health Defense. I expect he might feel a need to show up here
This is not an abnormal response, measles broke out in Texas because it has the most uninsured people in the US, and a large majority of these people don't or can't afford to vaccinate their children. I read an article where they discovered someone with measles getting off a plane in Houston Saturday.
Katelyn can correct me, but I don't think any of the children who have gotten measles in this outbreak have been vaccinated.
I live in TX, and any poor child can get Medicaid, which provides free vaccinations. I'm also fairly certain that any Health Unit provides them free of charge. The majority of cases are Mennonites, a more modern offshoot of the Amish. I don't think their beliefs prohibit the use of modern medicine. Another thing is that the women/mothers are poorly educated since they only raise vegetables and children, and don't have much power to make decisions. Terrible situation where the misinformed are now harming the rest of us.
My mom grew up Mennonite Brethren, and she said that typically neither Mennonite nor Amish beliefs prohibit doctors or vaccinations. However, they are culturally conservative and therefore are influenced from that direction.
I agree we have a crisis in healthcare of uninsured and Texas has not done much to help that problem. As for resources for the uninsured, the South Plains Public Health District has Vaccines For Children (VFC) immunization program that provides vaccines to uninsured and underinsured. This is a safety net program from the CDC for this very purpose, prevention of communicable diseases. Most health departments in the country have access and provide these services. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines-for-children/about/index.html and are held to a standard to provide to vulnerable populations. Of course, a health department needs capacity (supplies and RNs) to provide.
We in public health are crossing our fingers that Kennedy will keep his hands off this essential program. #supportpublichealth, #publichealth
I guess you haven't heard that RFK is planning (just this morning a judge has halted any actions on this) to cut $11 billion to public health.
I live in rural western Kansas, I know how important you guys are to our health out here in the hinterlands. Thank you.
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/judge-temporarily-blocks-11b-public-health-cuts/744516/
Thanks for sharing, and good luck to you in rural Kansas. I know about the injunction and it is for certain COVID funds that were utilized to increase capacity in public health after the pandemic (because we won’t have another one for a 100 years🙄). I am fearful for what else the administration will cut in a system that is already reeling from uncertainty and destabilization. Take care in Kansas. I❤️Labs too!
It’s already happening - I’ve heard it repeatedly
While the death of these children is truly tragic, I am having a very hard time mustering any sympathy for these communities. Religious extremism, as is widely found in the impacted areas in TX, thrives on ignorance and magical thinking. If the deaths of their own children is not enough to make them understand that vaccines are a safe, lifesaving "miracle" (to use their parlance) then nothing will move them. This is the same wilful ignorance seen during the pandemic when people refused vaccines even after the Covid vaccine became widely available, and then died from Covid. Some people are simply unreachable.
It's about the children who have no say in the matter.
I agree. How is this not child abuse? These parents are neglecting these children to the point of death.
RFK isn't helping though. The Texas panhandle was running short on MMR vaccine a couple of weeks ago, while RFK was hiking in the New Hampshire mountains.
I never liked the phrase "religion is the opiate of the masses" before because I'm highly religious. But the misuse and abuse of Christianity that I've seen in the last ten years makes me really understand what it means. If you've been told "the Lord works in mysterious ways" and "everything that happens is God's will" then you won't see the very basic ways that leaders are misleading you, because it seems to be doubting your faith. I would change it to "religion is the opiate autocrats feed to the masses" (though that's likely what it means anyway). (For the record, Jesus would not have told us to pray for God's will to be done if everything that happens was God's will. God choosing not to stop bad things that result from people's free will still sometimes frustrates me, but I also value free will. And the brains God gave us. ;-) )
I *don't* understand what anti-vaxxers get out of having their own congregants die, though! I guess it just makes them look more powerful if they have "secret knowledge" that no one else has (because it's not real).
Thanks, a good and thoughtful note on this. I am not religious, but I thought your remarks on this are helpful.
There is so much that I read nowadays that makes my head want to explode, including the things discussed in this post. Two things that have helped me keep things in perspective (sharing in case they help others):
I recently re-discovered Stoicism and highly recommend it. The Daily Stoic website is a great entry point.
Sometimes it helps to have a historical & sociological map for societal upheaval. Such a map was provided by the late professor Carlo Cipolla, who, in 1971, wrote what has become a relatively famous (in some circles) essay entitled, "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity". It has been one of the most helpful things I've read for grasping the forces at work during periods of decline. If you don't have time for the original essay, following is a link to the best (IMHO) short summary (non-paywalled), which also has a link to the full essay. It's spot on for where we find ourselves today in relation to measles (Malone, Kennedy & CHD are the Bandits.....). And is also applies to pretty much everything else going on.
https://qz.com/967554/the-five-universal-laws-of-human-stupidity
Thank you for sharing. Cipolla is new to me, and resonates deeply.
Glad to hear it. I regularly re-read both the article and the original essay. It always helps me to use my energy better.
It's pretty mind-boggling that Cipolla wrote that essay ~50 years ago. But, then again, he was an economic historian, and obviously had a gift for discerning the underlying causes of economic and cultural decline.
Do your best to stay sane out there!
Brava, Dr. Jetelina!
You are speaking the truth to power.
As a Texan, father, grandfather, board certified pediatrician and retired public health official, we must insist the elected leaders and high ranking officials step up in the most visible and effective way.
I have seen news reports that Secretary Kennedy has endorsed measles vaccination. OK, but I have yet to hear this message straight from the horse's mouth; and more than once.
We must tell those who are abusing their power or shirking their sworn duties that the lives of those most precious to us are at stake and we will hold them accountable (at the polls) for any and all harm that their failures cause. Their cowardice and allegiance to the fame, fortune, privilege and power that the mis- and disinformation Algorithm has given them is clearly more important to them than the lives of the innocent, let alone the truth.
Only elected leaders can provide effective (that is, truth-based) Crisis Communication. They must inform the public of the serious nature of the threat; assure them of the competence of the medical and public health science that informs their guidance - such confidence is the essential predicate to trust and trust is the essential predicate to action; explain how vaccination benefits individuals and communities; and how failure to vaccinate endanger family and community.
Unless and until elected leaders and other high ranking officials convey this message, the stalwart efforts of public health - e.g., case contact investigation - are doomed and effective actions to end the outbreak are doomed along with it.
I'm in the mood to re-read "People of the Lie," the 1983 book by psychiatrist M. Scott Peck. The basic premise is that there a people among us who practice an especially harmful and deeply ingrained psychopathology such that their entire persona is based upon lying...lying about nearly everything. Lying is their essence and their modus operandi. Lying is how they take advantage of others wherever and whenever they can.
I leave you to decide who is lying to us.
Well said!
I think you should add a chart of the knock on health complications per 1000 cases of measles. It is actually easy for people to disregard 3 deaths. Not because they aren't tragic, but because the incidence is low. It is important to point out the entire range of lifetime health risk from this epidemic.
Dr. Jetelina, just a question. As measles rates rise, is there a possibility that the virus will mutate and make our vaccine no longer effective (or as effective?)
From an earlier post by Dr. Jetelina - FAQs about measles. See question 4. https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/10-faqs-on-mmr-and-measles-protection?r=z9lb5&utm_medium=ios
Super helpful! I missed that post. Thank you 🙏
I am sad and angry at what is being done to our public health led by snake oil salesmen at the expense of our children. Enough is enough. I hope that state health departments start pushing back harder against the nonsense from the charlatans in charge at the federal level.
Thank you for keeping me well informed. We all haven't lost our minds and need to stick together to fight those who are taking advantage for their own personal agenda. They certainly are not out for the common good of all.
These are very troubling times. Thank you for the work you do.
It is not possible to permanently eliminate a disease from the United States when it exists elsewhere in the World. "In 2024, the European Region saw a significant surge in measles cases, with the highest number reported since 1997, reaching 127,350 cases, a double from 2023, and accounting for a third of global cases." https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/13-03-2025-european-region-reports-highest-number-of-measles-cases-in-more-than-25-years---unicef--who-europe
A major factor in vulnerability to infectious disease complications is the unsaturated fatty acid content of adipose tissue. For example, "Some COVID-19 patients go on to develop severe infection with organ failure, potentially leading to death, and one of the contributing factors appears to be toxicity from the release of stored unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), according to a small study in Gastroenterology.
Vijay P. Singh, MBBS, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and colleagues retrospectively looked at mortality and dietary and other factors in 15 COVID-19 patients, one of of whom died and seven of whom needed intensive care (ICU group). The rest were discharged home. They found that the ICU group had an early drop in serum calcium and albumin several days before ICU admission. Separately, on analyzing global COVID-19 mortality data and comparing it with 12 risk factors for mortality, they found unsaturated fat intake to be associated with increased mortality. This was based on the dietary fat patterns of 61 countries in the United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization database. Surprisingly, they found saturated fats to be protective." https://www.medpagetoday.com/reading-room/aga/lower-gi/86940
For upwards of 65 years, the American Heart Association has sustained a disinformation campaign regarding saturated fat. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36477384/
Career federal nutrition scientists who write the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are fully behind the AHA's dietary advice. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38522617/
Bureaucrats in government health agencies want us to trust their policies. But we cannot do so as long as this dispute persists. "Is a particular dietary recommendation harming people in the U.S.? For almost 20 years, scientists have been arguing over whether Americans and others on a typical Western diet are eating too much of omega-6s, a class of essential fatty acids. Some experts, notably ones affiliated with the American Heart Association, credit our current intake of omega-6s with lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Others, which include biochemists, say the relatively high intake of omega-6 is a reason for a slew of chronic illnesses in the Western world, including asthma, various cancers, neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease itself." https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/110212/an-essential-debate
In the final analysis, the quality of food that makes children and adults fat and diebetic makes children vulnerable to infectious disease complications. Time to let let saturated fat back into the food supply. https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/3/4/33
Consumption of saturated fat, or the lack thereof is not connected to the efficacy of a VERY effective vaccination and the previous VERY effective herd immunity as a result of this particular public health success with mmr. Please don't muddy the waters with diet/exercise information.
I said nothing about the efficacy of the measles vaccine. It is the efficacy of the immune system that is concerning. Textbook-educated public health scientists promote nutrition policies that make America unhealthy. https://medcraveonline.com/JDMDC/a-falsehood-that-has-been-repeated-many-times-becomes-true-the-origin-of-the-diabesity-pandemic-the-most-lethal-of-the-21st-century-.html
Vaccination teaches the immune system how to recognize the virus so it can fight it directly. The immune system on its own cannot produce antibodies or T cells that recognize the virus prior to infection, regardless of the nutritional state of the infected person. Immunization by vaccination teaches our immune systems something it could never learn without vaccination or infection. Infection of an unvaccinated person will also teach the immune system but the price paid is the infected person gets sick and transmits the virus to others. The sickness sometimes leads to hospitalization or even death, especially in unhealthy persons, but even in perfectly healthy persons. This is what science knows to be true. The measles virus will infect you regardless of your nutrition, but if you're healthy (and have good nutrition), you may not get as sick as an unhealthy person. The diets of many Americans can certainly be improved a lot, such as by reducing saturated fats which are known to cause cardiovascular diseases, but diet alone won't prevent infection by measles virus. You need to get vaccinated to do that. MMR vaccine is perfectly safe. I've received it twice with no ill effects, just like millions have. Trust the vaccine, not the spreaders of disinformation and lies who say otherwise.
"The diets of many Americans can certainly be improved a lot, such as by reducing saturated fats which are known to cause cardiovascular diseases,..."
Now, that is definitely misinformation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36477384/
If you care to look into the matter:
https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/3/4/33
https://news.osu.edu/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/41405
This is why epidemiologists believe saturated fats clog arteries. "Linoleic acid (LA), as a part of the wider debate about saturated, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) and health, continues to be at the center of controversy in the world of fatty acid research. A robust evidence base, however, demonstrates that higher intakes and blood levels of LA are associated with improved cardiometabolic health outcomes. LA lowers total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol when compared with saturated fatty acids and carbohydrates. Using large prospective datasets, higher blood levels of LA were associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and incident type-2 diabetes mellitus compared with lower levels, suggesting that, across the range of typical dietary intakes, higher LA is beneficial. Recent trials of LA-rich oils report favorable outcomes in people with common lipid disorders." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39267068/
Notice that higher LA is beneficial for the person who already has a 'lipid disorder'. Metabolcally healthy people need not be concerned about their saturated fat intake. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11450898/
In the final analysis, metabolically unhealthy people would do well to reduce their meat intake and up their oleic acid intake. This narrative explains why that approach is effective. "The Mediterranean diet is low in arachidonic acid and rich in healthy fats such as monounsaturated fats found in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), nuts and omega-3 fatty acids from fish, which has been shown to lower the risk of inflammation, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, and other degenerative diseases." https://advancedmolecularlabs.com/blogs/news/new-red-meat-study-controversy
No comments on vaccines, so apparently you now agree with my points. Glad to see it. That's progress.
This is classic disinformation, following Malone’s and Kennedy’s formula.
What is the nature of that disinformation?
Actually, Kennedy has only a social media understanding of health issues while his detractors have only a textbook understanding of same. That said, I favor allowing children to become infected with measles because "Current evidence suggests that immunity after the disease is life-long, whereas the response after two doses of measles-containing vaccine declines within 10–15 years." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33502929/
Note also that "Infants are protected from birth against measles by maternal antibodies if the mother is immune to measles." https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/measles/facts#:~:text=Infants
The quality of the food supply is the major driver of measles mortality. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37676836/
Writing with a scientist's deep understanding of molecular biology, genetics and virology and knowing Robert Malone personally, I can say with deep knowledge-based confidence that your, Malone's, and Kennedy's understanding of science and medicine is deeply flawed. Pushing these unscientific tropes is sending children to the hospital and killing some of them. It is all unnecessary. All that is needed is vaccination of 95% of children. It is perfectly safe, far more safe than letting measles spread unchecked. You are contributing to sickness and death but have convinced yourself otherwise by believing unsubstantiated claims.
Tell our son-in-law how perfectly safe measles vaccinations are. When he transferred from a Christian College to a University, he was inadvertently revaccinated with a measles vaccine. He became very sick and lapsed into a deep depression. His father had to bring him home where he could be treated and supported by family. The school eventually acknowledged its mistake and provided compensation. About two decades later he was accepted for a position as a college professor on condition that he be vaccinated for COVID-19. He applied to other schools. Do you think he had his two children vaccinated?
A deep understanding of molecular biology, genetics, and virology does not automatically translate into a deep understanding of how excess arachidonic acid intake affects immunity and alters cell metabolism. (web search - miRNA dysregulation arachidonic acid)
I'm sorry about your son in law's illness. My first college roommate had a similar experience and dropped out of college within a week and went home to family who helped him through his depression. He was not vaccinated. Major life changes are a common cause of such illnesses. They can include nausea, headaches, and variety of symptoms that might mimic myriad illnesses such as flu, etc. My roommate's experience is a single event, and while unfortunate, proves nothing, not even that lack of vaccination caused his illnesses. So, I won't claim that not being vaccinated caused his illnesses. It's an anecdote, from which no scientific conclusions can be drawn. It's the same for your son-in-law's illness. It provides only an anecdote, that may be suggestive to you, but cannot provide scientific guidance to anyone.
Similarly, I know people who were horrified that thousands of people died following administration of the Covid vaccine. Of course, a moment's thought reminds that 1) hundreds of millions (actually billions) of people around the world received a covid vaccine, and 2) many people died following administration every day. So, logic has it that some people who are vaccinated will die shortly after vaccination, purely by chance. So, vaccination and death can occur coincidentally. It doesn't offer any evidence that vaccination causes death, of course. However, properly constructed scientific studies have shown that few if any people die due to covid vaccination whereas 10-20 million people globally died of Covid. Which is more dangerous, getting vaccinated or not getting vaccinated? Scientifically, the answer is straightforward. Vaccination is safe and saved millions. We know that for a fact.
You are free to believe whatever you like, but you can't claim to have scientific evidence or knowledge when you don't. Jesus was a carpenter, but never claimed to be a scientist, or even a politician. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the thing's that are God's." Wise advice.
And what about when their immune systems are wiped out? Or they develop encephalitis? I favor not disabling people.
"That said, I favor allowing children to become infected with measles because "Current evidence suggests that immunity after the disease is life-long, whereas the response after two doses of measles-containing vaccine declines within 10–15 years.""
That's a great strategy - unless of course the child dies from contracting measles. Risking a child's life by not vaccinating them when there are highly effective vaccines available is tantamount to felony child abuse.
Note that there is risk either way. It may turn out that the same individuals at risk for complications after measles infection are at risk for complications after measles vaccination. We just don't kknow these things.
Actually we do know these things quite well. There are reams of studies showing that the MMR vaccine is both highly effective and safe. No vaccine is foolproof, and there are a tiny minority for whom there is an adverse reaction, but a statistically tiny chance of such a reaction is not a reason to expose an entire population to a potentially deadly disease. What we do know for certain sure is that there are 3 dead children because misguided parents followed the advice you are here advocating for.
Your posts here are a constant stream of anti-vax nonsense and internet lies and misinformation. It is pathetic. Stop with the misinformation campaign.
This is not misinformation. The NIH, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetic Association and virtually every obesity expert in the World are all in the dark as to how to reverse the recent-decades decline in population health. Here is what they have been ignoring. https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/224/8/jeb232538/256572/The-under-appreciated-fats-of-life-the-two-types
Hopefully, the MAHA Commission will pay attention to what the mainstream media and the career federal health experts (bureaucrats) have missed. https://www.cbs42.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/795302194/experts-sound-alarm-on-dangerous-omega-6-and-omega-3-imbalance-in-u-s-food-supply/
Nope, David, look carefully at the data... Diet is not the major factor.
Our relatively new administration and the BILLIONAIRE pranksters that have been assembled to implement an agenda of chaos, despair and institutionalized BS from the top down are likely little interested in a couple of unvaccinated kids getting the BIG SLEEP.
I appreciate your efforts to cut through this fog of war.
Thank you for this information. YLE is an incredibly valuable information lifeline.
I am extremely grateful to you, Dr. J., for the work you do in this newsletter. Thank you.
A tragedy in so many ways. But the public health community is not responsible when our population ignores reality. Complacency after decades of no direct exposure to the seriousness of measles (and other vaccine preventable disease) has harsh consequences.
The misinformation during the covid epidemic certainly has lingering consequences for credibility, and that is worth remembering. Humility and respecting the dignity of those who choose risks is challenging. May those with truth manifest both.
There is accurate information about measles available to everyone, there are vaccines available, and there is good (if imperfect) guidance on where active cases are. Yes, the uneven response of parents and other members of the public is very sad, though some have followed the good advice that is available. Public health is not veterinary medicine. People do (and should) get to make there own choices, and not health people for them. The good news in a bad situation is that the people in public health have done their job well despite little constructive leadership, and they deserve our commendation for having done so. Please continue.