Measles Misinformation Gets an Immigration Twist

The measles outbreak has been in the news.  Not surprisingly given the climate, immigrants have been blamed for the outbreak.  Factcheck.org puts the lie to the test:

“A Facebook meme incorrectly blames the measles outbreak in the U.S. on immigrants from South America. The virus, however, was eliminated there in 2016. The recent uptick in measles cases is due to travelers returning from countries with outbreaks.

The outbreak of measles in the U.S. and around the world is due largely to inadequate vaccination rates in some communities, not illegal immigration, as one popular meme on Facebook claims.

`The meme shows a picture of a baby who appears to be infected with measles and says: “Thanks to a highly effective vaccination program the Measles virus was eliminated from the U.S. in 2000. Thanks to the immigrants who illegally cross the U.S. Mexican border, and the Democrats who refuse to stop them, the Measles virus has been declared a public health emergency in 2019.’”

Here is some informed measles information for international travelers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

KJ