ANTI-SCIENCE LOONIES LIKE SMITH ARE DOING NOTHING TO STOP THE SPREAD OF MEASLE

Individuals who reject scientific consensus, like Smith, are failing to curb the resurgence of measles. Not long ago, many of us believed that the measles outbreaks that my generation experienced in childhood were a thing of the past. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, nearly every parent ensured their children received vaccinations for a disease that had historically plagued children, resulting in the deaths of millions worldwide.
Then in 1998 a fraudulent academic study linked measles to autism and the conspiracy-minded, led by Robert F. Kennedy Junior, now Donald Trump's disastrous Secretary of Health and Human Services, began convincing the gullible that they should not vaccinate their kids against measles--or anything else.

And here we are today, with an Alberta government led by a premier who admires Ayn Rand's advocacy for psychopathic thinking, and who has also imbibed every conspiracy theory imaginable. We do have very knowledgeable people employed by Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services who would gladly be doing everything possible to spread the message to the dull and the dense that measles vaccinations are not only completely safe but that parents who don't vaccinate their kids are irresponsible.

But they can't. The premier and her pliant and even less bright Health Minister are death on health expertise and reliant on the support of the most conspiracy-prone section of our population. The result is the tragedy described below.

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FROM CTV NEWS

29 new measles cases in Alberta announced Tuesday
By Karyn Mulcahy and Steven Dyer

Published: April 22, 2025

The province says people who visited certain health centres in the Edmonton-area may have been exposed to measles. CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha has the latest

Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced the province had 29 new confirmed measles cases as of noon on Tuesday.

This brings the total number of cases in Alberta to 118, up from the 89 cases last reported on April 17.

The new cases are spread out over four of the five provincial health zones:

North - 7
Edmonton - 1
Central - 11
South - 10

According to AHS, 12 of the cases in the province are still active, meaning the patients can still infect others.

The announcement comes after AHS issued a warning about three more potential measles exposures in the Edmonton zone.

The health authority says a person visited three locations while infected:

April 10
Kinder Care Medical Clinic
Unit 205, 11125 107 Ave. NW, Edmonton
Exposure time period: Approx. 1:45 p.m. – 4:38 p.m. (MST)

April 11
Ross Creek Medical Imaging
#103 10101 86 Ave., Fort Saskatchewan
Exposure time period: Approx. 7:50 a.m.– 11:00 a.m. (MST)

April 14
ROKband Pediatric Headshape Clinic
#402 9945 50 St. NW, Edmonton
Exposure time period: Approx. 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (MST)

Anyone who visited any of these locations during these times who was born in or after 1970 and has fewer than two documented doses of measles-containing vaccines is at risk for developing measles.

These individuals should self-monitor for symptoms, which include a fever of 38.3 C, cough, runny nose or red eyes and a rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts.

Complications of measles can include ear infections, pneumonia, inflammation of the brain, premature delivery and death.

People who are pregnant, less than one year of age or have weakened immune systems are at the greatest risk.

A preventable disease and a safe vaccine

Public health experts say the growing number of measles cases in the province is concerning.

"Measles is highly contagious, and of course, in certain populations, it can be fatal. There can be very serious side effects. This is a concern," public health expert Lorian Hardcastle told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"Alberta's vaccination rates are not where they would need to be for us to achieve herd immunity. So really, we are at quite a bit of risk here."

Hardcastle says there has been a lack of leadership from the provincial government since the outbreak.

"If you compare, for example, to what the situation was like during COVID, there's not a lot of leadership being shown from the provincial government with respect to measles," she commented.

"We aren't hearing regular comments from the premier or the minister of health. We aren't hearing them encouraging people to go out and get vaccinated if they aren't vaccinated. There isn't that public health messaging that I think we need."

Hardcastle says the premier is walking a line between pro and anti-vaccine voters, but says there are still options for public health messaging.

"What are the signs and symptoms of measles? What should you do to avoid catching measles? Even apart from the vaccine messaging, all of that other public health messaging, we're just not hearing a lot from the government on any of that."

Dr. Shelley Duggan, the president of the Alberta Medical Association, agrees.

"I think that we really need a substantial campaign out there about the importance of vaccination, otherwise we are not going to get this under control," she told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

"We need 95 per cent of the population vaccinated in order to really get measles out of the community. We're basically around 70 per cent in most of the urban areas, Edmonton and Calgary, but in some areas of the province, we are at 50 per cent or less.

"It is time for a massive campaign to promote vaccination, so that people understand where to go, how to get it."

She's also calling for regular updates from the province's interim chief medical officer of health, Dr. Sunil Sookram.

"We probably need to see the medical officer of health on a regular basis, coming out and sharing that data and going over and over and over again about the risks of measles and what we can do to prevent it," Duggan added.

"While we perhaps don't need quite the daily intervention that we had during COVID, we probably could do with fairly regular updates."

Physician and University of Alberta professor Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti says the measles vaccine is safe, and encourages anyone who hasn't been immunized to do so.

"The vaccine is safe. There's all sorts of conspiracy theories out there, and you can't reason with folks that think that way. So the best I try and do is just point out to patients, 'Listen, this is a preventable disease, and are you willing to take the chance of somebody dying in your family as a result of this preventable disease?'"

Francescutti says the lowest vaccination rates are in children, and worries Alberta will see the death of a child like in the United States.

"It's just a matter of time before you'll be reporting the death of the child as a result of measles, and it's not because the healthcare system failed that child. They'll do everything they can to try and save that child. But unfortunately, measles has consequences."

Albertans can call 811 to book a measles vaccine.

The lack of leadership from the provincial government is appalling. It is imperative that they take immediate action to address the growing measles outbreak in Alberta. The premier and her government must put aside their ideological biases and listen to the expertise of public health officials. They must launch a comprehensive campaign to educate the public about the dangers of measles and the importance of vaccination.

Furthermore, the government must take concrete steps to improve vaccination rates, particularly in areas with low vaccination coverage. This can be achieved by increasing access to vaccination services, providing education and outreach programs, and implementing policies that promote vaccination.

The consequences of inaction will be devastating. Measles is a preventable disease, and it is the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens from this preventable harm. The premier and her government must act now to prevent further suffering and death from measles.

In conclusion, the growing measles outbreak in Alberta is a public health crisis that requires immediate attention and action. The provincial government must take leadership and work with public health experts to educate the public, improve vaccination rates, and prevent further suffering and death from measles. The fate of Alberta's children and vulnerable populations hangs in the balance.