Measles!? Should We Be Afraid?

The AAP has announced that measles outbreaks have been reported in multiple states. As of this writing, there have been "nearly a dozen" measles cases this year so far in the U.S.

Measles In the News
Have you seen measles in the news with photos of miserable-looking children covered in red bumps recently? Measles was declared “eradicated” from the United States since 2000. Why is this ancient infection of past decades rearing its ugly head to haunt us once more? Should we be afraid? Are our children in danger? I thought vaccines eradicated this disease! What is happening?!

How Many Cases Each Year?
CDC data on reported cases in the US, show that every year there are between just over a dozen, up to hundreds of cases each year in the United States (1274 cases in 2019). These cases are in people vaccinated for measles, as well as those who aren’t. Headline articles today are in a panic, using the phrase “nearly a dozen cases in multiple states…” Well, we’re not even past the first month of the year! Oh dear, oh dear! Is it time to panic?

Dr Sherri Tenpenny Weighs In
"We've got to stop calling chickenpox and measles diseases, because they're not. They're infections, and infections come and go in a week to ten days and leave behind a lifetime of immunity. A disease is something that comes and stays, and frequently can't be cured. So, when you vaccinate to avoid an infection, what you potentially are doing is causing a disease." - Dr Sherri J. Tenpenny, D. O., Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine

Did Vaccines Save Us?
I once thought that the incidence of infectious illness was greatly reduced and eventually eradicated by vaccination. Imagine my shock when I saw the following chart for measles. If you chop it between 1960 and today, the slope looks a lot more impressive. But when looking at the big picture, we can’t help but ask: Is the vaccine really to be credited with the steep drop in mortality for this illness? Or could other factors have something to do with it? Looking at similar charts for other infectious illnesses shows a similar plot.

Above image provided from Dissolving Illusions website.

Are We in Danger?
How dangerous is measles? In 2018, during one such media push, the Facebook page for the World Health Organization listed seven possible complications that could be caused by measles. They are nothing to be taken lightly. However, in a person who is not malnourished or vitamin A deficient, it is unlikely that contracting measles carries these complication risks. Vitamin A deficiency puts children at great risk for severe complications from many infections.

Screen shot of the WHO 2018 FB post regarding measles complications.

Just for fun, after seeing their post, I decided to look up and compare the adverse effects listed on the MMR vaccine manufacturers insert. I was not shocked to discover that all seven of the possible complications from measles, including death, are listed as adverse effects from the vaccine, PLUS ALL THESE OTHERS!!! I’ve bolded a few that I find especially troubling.

Vaccine Adverse Reactions
Adverse events that have been documented to occur after receiving the MMR vaccine: - Panniculitis (inflammation of adipose/fat tissue under the skin) - Atypical MEASLES - Fever - Syncope (temporary loss of consciousness) - Headache - Dizziness - Malaise - Irritability - Vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels which can lead to restricted blood flow and damage to organs) - Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) - Diarrhea - Vomiting - Parotitis (Inflammation of a parotid gland, especially infectious parotitis aka MUMPS) - Nausea - Diabetes mellitus - Thrombocytopenia (low platelets / severe bleeding due to reduced ability to form blood clots) - Purpura (Red/purple discolored spots on the skin due to bleeding underneath the skin) - Regional lymphadenopathy (enlargement / disease of the lymph nodes) - Leukocytosis (abnormally high number of white blood cells due to inflammation from infection, tumors, or leukemia) - Anaphylaxis and anaphylactoid reactions, angioneurotic edema / peripheral or facial edema (severe swelling of the lower layer of skin and tissue just under the epidermis) and bronchial spasm in individuals with or without an allergic history. - Arthritis or Arthralgia (Arthralgia and/or arthritis, transient or chronic, and polyneuritis are features of infection with wild-type RUBELLA.) - Myalgia (muscle pain) - Encephalitis (brain inflammation) - Encephalopathy (brain disease, damage, or malfunction) - Measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE). Presents with seizures within one year of measles vaccination or measles infection. - Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). SSPE is a chronic form of progressive brain inflammation caused by a persistent infection with measles virus. - Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks your nerves, causing weakness, severe pain, difficulty breathing, and paralysis. - Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). ADEM is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system / widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. - Transverse myelitis (Inflammation of the spinal cord which causes pain, abnormal sensations, weakness, incontinence, or total paralysis.) - Febrile convulsions / seizures - Afebrile convulsions / seizures - Ataxia (loss of full control of bodily movements) - Polyneuritis (disorder of the peripheral nerves) - Polyneuropathy (degeneration / malfunction of peripheral nerves in various parts of the body at the same time) - Ocular palsies (Damage to third cranial nerve affecting eye movements, leading to strabismus and double vision) - Paresthesia (abnormal burning or prickling sensation in in various parts of the body) - Aseptic meningitis (inflammation of layers lining the brain, causing fever, headache, vomiting, persistent crying and poor eating in children, mental confusion..) - Pneumonia and pneumonitis - Sore throat, cough, rhinitis - Stevens-Johnson syndrome / Erythema multiforme (form of toxic epidermal necrolysis. A painful red or purple rash that spreads and blisters, eventually causing the top layer of the skin to die and shed. May lead to vision loss.) - Urticaria / hives - Rash / Measles-like rash - Pruritus / severe itching of the skin - Burning / stinging at injection site - Wheal and flare / allergic skin reaction - Redness - Swelling - Induration (hardening of soft tissues of the skin / loss of elasticity) - Tenderness - Vesiculation / blistering - Henoch-Schönlein purpura / Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy (rash caused by inflammation and bleeding in small blood vessels, accompanied with swollen joints, abdominal pain, or bloody urine) - Nerve deafness / hearing loss - Otitis media (ear infection) - Retinitis (inflammation of the retina of the eye) - Optic neuritis / papillitis / retrobulbar neuritis (demyelinating inflammation of the optic nerve. Vision loss, pain with movement of the eye.) - Conjunctivitis (eye infection) - Epididymitis / Orchitis (inflammation of the testicles, characterized by pain, swelling, and burning with urination) - Death ------ MMR Vaccine Insert. (Pages 6-8)

Risk is Part of Life
Would it really be so terrible if you were to contract measles and traded a few days of discomfort for a lifetime of immunity? Or is it really better to trade a few years of immunity from the vaccine for the risk of long-term, chronic, life-altering diseases?

You are free to choose which list of possible complications or adverse effects you want to risk. I personally like the odds of the short list.

Dr Alexander Langmuir regarding the risk of contracting measles.

Where Did These Outbreaks Come From?
Surprisingly (or not), when the specific strains from measles outbreaks are isolated and identified, many turn out to be vaccine strains. Wild-type measles is only part of the equation. In this 2017 Journal of Clinical Microbiology article examining strains, almost 40% of the isolated strains in the study were identified as vaccine sequences, not wild-type measles. Because the MMR is a live-attenuated-virus vaccine, the risk of contracting the virus or transmitting it to others is present, and those with compromised immune systems should exercise caution when interacting with recently-vaccinated persons.
So, in some instances, are the vaccines themselves driving the outbreaks?

How Long Are Measles Vaccines Effective?
Another consideration is that neutralizing antibodies from the MMR vaccine begin to wane within a few years. So, immunity from the vaccine does not last. Contracting the measles naturally would provide a lifetime of immunity.

Measles Math
In the US, death from measles is extremely rare. I hate math, but I love numbers, and according to vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit, the US mortality rate from measles is .0001667, if you contract it! This short video shows Dr. Offit saying he had the measles as a child. He has top-shelf, lifetime immunity, but vaccine recipients have an unknown waning immunity. It’s a rather educational clip, and Del Bigtree makes it especially entertaining!

Take Your Vitamin A
If, by some bizarre circumstance, vaccinated or not, you or a loved one contracts measles, the WHO recommends staying on top of hydration, and two doses of Vitamin A, 24 hours apart. For children, the dose is 200,000 international units (IUs). Adults would take a higher amount.

Does Having Measles Provide Long-Term Benefits?
On top of lifetime immunity, there is evidence that shows measles has a conditioning effect on the immune system. It’s like training for the big fight. Having had measles can reduce the likelihood of certain types of cancer and other chronic illnesses.

This image is from a 2016 FB post from Marcella Piper-Terry. She wrote, “Significant results: ‘p’ means probability. When you’re talking about probability, .05 is what is generally accepted as being statistically significant. That means that if you are looking at 100, p<.05, that means that there’s a 95 percent probability that what you’re seeing is real and not by chance. When you get to p<.001, that means there is a 1 in 1,000 probability that what you’re seeing is by chance. That’s really strong evidence.”

Pediatrician Advice for Children with Measles
Also, enjoy this article clip from a 1963 newspaper in which a pediatrician teaches mothers how to relieve the boredom of her child who is sick with measles. The doctor says that everyone gets the measles, which is a good thing, because it improves the immune system. That was before the medical establishment convinced everyone that measles was the deadliest disease since the dawn of mankind.

Marcella Piper-Terry on Worldwide Measles
For a thorough analysis and thought-provoking read on measles worldwide and why there seems to be a recent provocation of panic, see Marcella Piper Terry’s article MEASLES!!! Fact-checking the WHO. Marcella has an amazing ability to read, understand and communicate data in a way that’s easy to grasp. She talks about primary and secondary vaccine failure, shares screenshots from the WHO and CDC, and explains why the headlines and claims need to be double-checked before we partake in blind compliance. Things aren’t always what they’re made out to be.

Blessings and health to you, reader! Thank you for going with me on this journey of discovery.

The Real BBC