Who Are You Trying to Protect?

Measles is recognized as one of the deadliest and infectious of diseases in the world.

In 2000, Measles was declared eliminated in the United States.  A quarter of a century later, many healthcare providers had never seen it – when they were in training, they had only seen pictures of people who had it. Almost forgotten – but not gone.

On January 2, 2025, two new cases were reported in Texas. On March 6, the Centers for Disease Control reported 222 newly infected people in 12 states.  About another month later, on April 11, the total rose to 712 with cases reported in 25 states. We have lift off.

You and your loved ones catch measles from germs floating in the air from the breath of an infected person near you.  These infected people are not to blame - If they are infected, they will not know it for 4 and 14 days after they have it, but they will spread it to an average of 12 more unvaccinated victims during that time. These victims will also will not know they have it, and each one of those 12 symptomless infected will spread it to another 12 unvaccinated (now up to 144) and in another week or so those new 144 will each spread it to another 12 unvaccinated - 1,728 infected and on and on.

The rate at which measles patients infect others (approximately 1:12) was first discovered in remote island communities in Scandinavia, where records of the first infection in communities with almost no visitors allowed the area’s doctor to chart the speed it infected everyone else. That “one-infects-twelve-unvaccinated” ratio has remained constant and observed since America introduced the first measles vaccine in 1963.

Since January, one out of 9 of those 1,728 infected people required hospitalization, and one out of every 250 infected have died. Of the 712 people who caught measles since between January 1 and April 11, 94% had not been vaccinated at all, and another 4% only got one of the two required shots.

This tragedy is occurring at the same time the emerging political debate about the right of government to require citizens to get vaccinations is complicating the lives of North Carolina elected leaders, school administrators and school board members, because one in six Americans attends or works in a K-12 school.¹ If one child or adult in a school gets measles, their school becomes a major pipeline for infection of their unvaccinated classmates, teachers, and all the people who keep the grass cut, the air conditioning working, and building secure.

North Carolina has a legal requirement that all children who are enrolled in K-12 schools must be vaccinated for measles, but despite that law, 81,000 (one in 16) North Carolina K-12 students have not been vaccinated.² If exposed to an infected person, it is highly likely that every one of those 81,000 will become infected and carry the disease home or infect classmates.

What a Measles infection does to your loved ones:

• Blisters and pimples on body
• 1 in 9 will be hospitalized
• 1 in 250 will die
• Bad painful ear infections
• Diarrhea
• Bronchitis, laryngitis or croup.
• Pneumonia
• About 1 in 1,000 people with measles develop swelling of the brain which can cause permanent brain damage
• Pregnant woman can experience premature birth, fetal death, and low birth weight which can cause lifelong health issues

As this disease spreads, North Carolina is likely to suffer more than other states because of our state legislature low funding of our schools. NC has been ranked second lowest for funding out of all 50 states and Washington DC. As a result, we do not pay our school staff (including nurses) well, and are understaffed by 7% (128 nurses) statewide.

As people of influence in North Carolina, you have a choice to make – you can help lower the number of people who have currently not been willing to get vaccinated, or you can stand by and let them continue to ignore the science.  We are likely to see 9,000 North Carolina children hospitalized, and 324 die. And that is just the kids.

There are things you can do to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the community that looks up to you:

1) Let others know you are vaccinated, and if you are not yet, get vaccinated and set a good example.

2) Tell your community they can get these vaccinations for free in North Carolina Public Health Agencies and other locations. (For more information: click here.)

3) Reach out to your North Carolina state elected officials and demand they increase the state financial support of K-12 schools nursing programs.

4) Do not repeat claims made by others about the risks of vaccinations without checking the source of their “facts”.

Let me know if I can help you.

¹Numbers cited for 1/6 are from newly released 2023 data. Previous newsletters said 1:5 based on 2021 data, In the past few years’ enrollment has dropped and population has risen.

²The calculation is 1,358003 enrolled students X .06%