A seventh case, the first in a child under age 5, follows the state’s controversial surgeon general’s decision to let parents decide whether to quarantine children or keep them in school.

A seventh case, the first in a child under age 5, follows the state’s controversial surgeon general’s decision to let parents decide whether to quarantine children or keep them in school.

The Florida measles outbreak is expanding. On Friday, health officials in Broward County confirmed a seventh case of the virus, a child under age 5.

The patient is the youngest so far to be infected in the outbreak, and the first to be identified outside of Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale.

It’s unknown what connection the youngest measles case has to the school, but the spread beyond school-age kids was expected.

Cases are “not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious,” said Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

  • Misconduct@lemmy.world
    91·
    9 months ago

    I’m a victim of “chickenpox parties” from the 80s. Some parents are just stupid assholes that refuse to accept you don’t have to make the immune system a punching bag to make it stronger

    Now I’m at a higher risk for severe shingles. Yay!! Thanks mom!

    • TurtleJoe@lemmy.world
      18·
      9 months ago

      I mean, that was the recommendation at the time. Chickenpox can be deadly to adults, and it was considered best to expose children to it when it wasn’t life-threatening. This was well before there was a vaccine available, and letting your kid get the virus was basically like giving them an inoculation.

      What’s bullshit is that you can’t get the shingles vaccine if you’re under 55 (in the US.)

        • ChexMax@lemmy.world
          3·
          9 months ago

          Idk about chicken pox, but I know you can’t get the RSV vaccine if you’re not elderly or in a very specific window of pregnancy. Like 34 to 36 weeks. My OB was out of it, I missed the window and then none of the pharmacies would give it to me at 37 weeks, even though my OB still recommended it.

        • gallopingsnail@lemmy.sdf.org
          1·
          9 months ago

          It’s indicated for patients 50 years old and older, or immunocompromised individuals 19 years old or older. You’re gonna have a real hard time finding a doc who goes against the CDC guidelines.

        • TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world
          1·
          9 months ago

          Having chicken pox is considerably more painful as a teenager and complications are more likely as an adult. I could easily see a pediatrician recommending this to a mom before school started so her kids don’t miss any school.

          • Misconduct@lemmy.world
            1·
            9 months ago

            It was during school and a pediatrician would never recommend something like this now lol. Plenty if medical professionals were against it at the time too. The vaccine was out by the time I was a teen. We could have waited it out.