this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025
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When questioned about a growing measles outbreak in West Texas that has claimed at least one life, Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters "we have measles outbreaks every year."

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[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds 147 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

We did, you fossil, until we eradicated it 25 years ago...

[–] [email protected] 31 points 5 days ago (3 children)

RFK Jr is a dumbass but the US has always had measles cases. There were 285 of them last year.

"Eradicated" has a technical meaning and its different than a lay reading.

[–] running_ragged 62 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Outbreak also had a technical meaning.

Outbreak: When there are more disease cases than what is usually expected:

  • For a given time (e.g., within 2 weeks)

  • Within a specific location (e.g., linked by institution, affiliation, exposure, small geographic area)

If outbreaks were normal, it wouldn’t be an outbreak.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

The CDC recorded 16 outbreaks in 2024.

Again, RFK Jr is a fucking clown and I wouldn't trust him to watch my dog but technically he's correct here.

[–] running_ragged 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Fair. But that is using a different definition for outbreak that whats shown on CDCs definition page.

[–] krashmo 3 points 5 days ago

Are you surprised by the lack of consistency or frustrated that we have to live with it?

[–] Zorque 5 points 5 days ago

Because of two datapoints? You need more than two years, one of which isn't even done yet, to make that kind of determination.

[–] Zorque 27 points 5 days ago

Which was nearly five times as many as the year before, and a tiny fraction of the cases from 1990.

There weren't any "outbreaks" in 2023, so right there that proves his statement false, at least if we're being as pedantic as you.

You want to know how we keep measles outbreaks low? By responding to them and not hand-waving them away.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

The point is the number keeps going up as the antivax crowd continues to seep into positions of power like RFK.

[–] shalafi 18 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Longer that that I think. I'm 54 and am just now learning what measles is, hadn't much of a clue. Disease that makes kids spotty and not my fucking problem because we were all vaccinated? Kinda like grandma's smallpox scar. "Fuck is that?!"

[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds 5 points 5 days ago

It was officially eradicated in the US in 2000 per NPR

[–] Snowclone 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I remember it being really strange to me as a kid that there were a lot of film and TV shows where a kid would get either the measles or mumps and then have padded cheeks, and I had no idea what these illnesses were and never heard of anyone getting them. I think my mom at some point said it was more common in the 60s or 70s. That was back in the 80s mostly they really don't even show up in any 90s written stuff, and I'm sure a lot of it was reruns from the 60s or old teen comedies, (not the sexy or unedited for TV kind)

These fuckers really want to bring back the 50s polio and all.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Smallpox could come back and these fuckers would point at numbers 150 years ago and say it's not unusual.

Who am I kidding: they don't even have to point at numbers. They just say the lie enough times.

[–] skeezix 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

Who would've known that Tom Jones would be the voice of reason in 2025?

[–] Sanctus 50 points 5 days ago (20 children)

Yes the fuck it is, measles was a thing of the fucken past. The reality these fools construct is frustrating.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 5 days ago

Funny how the numbers don't actually back up what the "HHS Secretary" is saying. One would think he would be able to access this data, and speak factually. Maybe he's not that good at using search engines. I searched "measles cases US historically" on DDG, and chose the first result. Sometimes that sort of lengthy and involved process can be difficult, for some people, at some times. Maybe RFK jr. isn't well suited to this position.

Measles cases in the United States https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-measles-cases

Edit: I'm thinking I'll use quotes to indicate these "post turtles" when they come up in discourse, to indicate that they really aren't where they are suppose to be.

Post Turtle: A "post turtle" refers to a metaphor used in political discourse to describe someone in a position of power who is there due to external support rather than their own abilities, suggesting they are out of their depth and unable to function effectively. The phrase originates from a joke about a turtle balanced on a fence post, implying it didn't get there by itself.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 30 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

It’s not unusual to give pox to anyone

🎺🎺🎺

It’s not unusual to give polio to them

So when I see out and about unvaccinated, it’s not unusual to see me cry

You’re gonna die

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Not relevant but since we're doing songs

If you got penis dentata

If you got teeth in your wang

[–] njm1314 7 points 4 days ago

In the 14th century I guess

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