50,000 Unvaccinated Students In Wisconsin Are Back To School

The worst measles outbreak in 27 years all through the nation could leave 50,000 students in Wisconsin vulnerable to measles. Measles had been declared eliminated back in 2000. James Conway, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health said " “I really do think it’s purely just dumb luck that this hasn’t spread to Wisconsin.”

In 2018 Wisconsin conducted it's most recent county by county immunization study measuring the percentage of 5 and 6 year olds who had received at least 2 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine which is the amount needed to fully immunize a child. Not a single county in the state had the 92% threshold of immunizations and 40 of 72 counties had less than 80%.

Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health said " “One of the reasons we’re concerned, is because it’s a very, very unforgiving disease. It’s one of the most infectious diseases we know of.” If a measles outbreak was to occur anyone not vaccinated or with a compromised immune system would have to stay home from school. Infected children could be quarantined up to to 21 days.

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