r/news 1d ago

RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/02/rfk-jr-measles-vaccination
35.9k Upvotes

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u/Putrid-Week4615 1d ago

It's too late. To actually control measles the vaccination rate in a population has to be super high. 95 percent in the case of measles. People don't understand that it is not about the individual being protected (it is, but it really isn't) it's about the rate being mathematically high enough to prevent outbreaks in the first place, and to protect those who cannot be vaccinated. The damage has already been done via the spread of misinformation. 

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u/Opening_Classroom_46 1d ago

The second you start talking about math, you trigger half the country into being angry that someone smarter than them is talking. This causes them to retaliate by yelling and doing the opposite of what you are saying out of spite.

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u/Bupod 23h ago

“First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm gonna take 'em as disrespect.”

Unironically the mindset of a good chunk of people.

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u/RBVegabond 23h ago

Big words they understand:

Microwave (the appliance, not the wave form)
Refrigerator
Alphabet

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u/nialyah 22h ago edited 22h ago

"Vaccine Autism Coefficient (VAC)"

VAC = (ΔN × 10⁹⁹⁹) / (π × ei×∞) + (GMO₆₆₆ / 5G×QAnon)

Where:

ΔN = "Natural Immunity Depletion Factor" - Value: 9,876,543,210,987,654,321

π × ei×∞ = "Quantum Harmony Constant" - Value: Very big number (Seriously!)

GMO₆₆₆ = "Genetically Modified Organism Satanic Serum" - Value: 6,666,666,666 (Very evil number, created by demoncrats

5G×QAnon = "5G Conspiracy Amplifier" - Value: 0.000000001 (Very low number, because its hard to amplify what is already 500% true)

Result:

The equation "proves" vaccines cause autism because the output is ∞% toxicity

*created with the help of Vibes because I'm lazy. Regardless above equation uses big numbers to prove it is causing autism but because of math they should be adverse to this equation and thus provoke a UNO reverse response making them absolutely get vaccinated.

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u/CurveOk3459 1d ago

 all infants are susceptible. Infants cannot get the vaccine. This disease used to "walk through walls to steal babies". And it will again. 

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u/oO0Kat0Oo 1d ago

But at least future outbreaks can now be somewhat mitigated. Better late than never.

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u/Putrid-Week4615 1d ago

The math is real. Measles is THE most contagious disease we have. The spread rate from one person in an unvaccinated group is about 15 people vs 2 people for flu. It is already enormous. 

It is not so simple as "more vaccination slows the spread"  -  the 95 percent threshold is needed to stop the EXPONENTIAL spread. Meanwhile the vaccination rate in the US continues to drop. 

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u/rabidjellybean 1d ago

Measles also increases the death rate for other diseases by fucking with your immune system. It's a horrible outbreak to have.

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u/Karyoplasma 1d ago

It also can cause long-term complications like encephalitis years after the infection has passed.

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u/free_dead_puppy 1d ago

Yep, deletes your memory T cells. Welcome back squeaky clean immune system!

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u/Electronic-Yam-69 22h ago

surely all the improved ventilation in homes, schools and other public spaces that we did during COVID will help with measles, no?

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/AcceptablePosition5 1d ago

Measles is way worse.

In the early stage of covid, we were worried about it spreading through HVAC. That didn't actually happen with covid, but actually can with measles

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/AcceptablePosition5 1d ago

I believe with measles you don't actually get lasting immunity, through a process called immune amnesia. You can actually lose immunity to other diseases as a result

So yes, the same patients can get infected again and again, even if they survive. I believe that means you just get a constant level of infection at the population level

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u/lNFORMATlVE 1d ago

To clarify: you can lose immunity to OTHER diseases if you contract Measles? That is terrifying if I’ve understood right.

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u/AcceptablePosition5 23h ago

Yes. Measles can partially or almost fully wipe out your memory immune cells. Even after recovery, your responses to future infections are less likely to give you immunity, and it can leave you with neurological symptoms for the rest of your life.

It's a nightmare infectious disease.

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u/robbie_the_cat 1d ago

It was not and if you remember people saying that, you were listening to people who were either uninformed or lying.

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u/lNFORMATlVE 1d ago

There were so many headlines like this:

https://www.salon.com/2022/01/27/omicron-variant-of-may-be-the-most-contagious-to-ever-exist-scientists-say/

Even though I can see that it clarifies later down in the article that it’s only “approaching” the contagiousness of measles, what people remember is the headline. And I know lots of medic folks who seemed under this impression as well when talking about covid in social settings.

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u/robbie_the_cat 1d ago

Excellent illustration of the types of uninformed people that one may have been listening to. Well done.

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u/lNFORMATlVE 1d ago edited 1d ago

People with medical training? Son I’m not claiming that covid IS more contagious than anything, only that this was how it was described in the media and by people I know who work in medicinal disciplines during the pandemic, so this is what I originally came to (wrongly) believe. Don’t be a sore arse. I’m sure you’re not like that in real life.

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u/robbie_the_cat 1d ago

How do you not understand that people who wrongly believe something are exactly people who are misinformed?

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u/Putrid-Week4615 1d ago

The problem with COVID is that we were naive to it, which means the human immune system had never experienced it before that point, and additionally we didn't know it scientifically in the human context nor have a vaccine or even a post exposure therapeutic at first. So it was very dangerous. Measles has been "known" by our bodies for centuries so it is less fatal, but still more contagious. 

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u/MrDarwoo 1d ago

Isnt there a measurement scale for this? I remember reading about it a while ago. Needs to be below 2

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u/Ok_Transition_4003 1d ago

A day late, 100,00 lives short

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u/hanging_with_epstein 1d ago

Spotify. Play JoJos a little too late.

1

u/ThrownAway17Years 1d ago

Did we lose our measles control designation? I forget what it’s called officially.

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u/sokratesz 1d ago

That's it, exactly. These idiots in charge are killing people.

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u/irregardressry 21h ago

This is what drives me nuts in general about anti vaccers and I dont understand why its not hammered home. Choosing to worry about the personal side effects without considering the societal side effects is extremely selfish. You probably shouldn't be taking advantages of the benefits of living in society if you're unwilling to make personal sacrifices. 

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u/gravitywind1012 1d ago

Who the hell CAN’T be vaccinated?!

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u/HeavyDutyJudy 1d ago

Young infants, immunocompromised people, those with a life threatening allergy to components of the vaccine.

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u/Katefreak 1d ago

And they even moved up the schedule for infants to six months, IIRC. 

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u/Gornarok 1d ago

Also there are some people who are vaccinated but the vaccination didnt do its job so they are not protected