Comment by loosescrews | Hacker News Reader

Comment by loosescrews | Hacker News Reader

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One thing to note is that measles is a lot more contagious [1] than sars-cov-2 or any of the flu strains [2]. Measels is also an airborne disease [3], which is distinct from respiratory droplet transmitted diseases [4], like the sars-cov-2 virus [5]. As a result, many of the precautions that people are taking for the sars-cov-2 virus, while also effective against the flu, are not effective against measles. The measles boom in 2019 was driven by an anti-vaccine movement. The current reduction in vaccination is much larger and more widespread. I therefore don't think that we can conclude that measles cases will decrease in 2020 without data. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see an even larger measles boom when current precautions are phased out.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/measles/transmission.html

[2] https://www.popsci.com/story/health/how-diseases-spread/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_transmission

[5] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-br...

We realised it during the height of the lock down in spring. Our son did not interact with any other child for a few weeks, and only went out occasionally with a mask on. Then he suddenly got chicken pox...

poor kid. the body NEEDS exposure to shit. it needs to learn hoe to fight and how to survive. especially at a young age, when the immune system is still in formation. come on, you should know this..

What's your suggestion on how to have your child build the immunity these days without risking the child possibly infecting the parents with covid?

So... vaccines? Because that's what they do, more or less. Introduce little bits of virus so the body can fight it off if we actually come in contact with it, and by this, it means that other are less likely to catch it too.

(Technical stuff means that sometimes, we don't even get the actual virus, but that point doesn't really take away from the argument).

The vaccines don’t train the immune system correctly. Usually when you are infected you get a fever and the immune system has to go trough a certain process. With vaccines you get the antibodies for the virus, but this makes the immune system react in a unnatural way.

You wind up with the same thing: Antibodies. And way safer than getting the actual disease. It isn't "unnatural", it just isn't from getting the disease.

I'm gonna trust the health professionals here.

Hasn't there been a fair bit of evidence that covid spreads in an airborne manner some of the time?

Covid is also airborne, but Measles is almost absurdly infections. We quantify this stuff with the basic reproduction number.

Measles Aerosol R0 12–18 vs COVID-19 Respiratory droplets and aerosol R0 2–6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number

Dying of measles we would be an effective darwin test. Only the most stupid refuse to get tested, usually in uneducated remote areas, not trusting the press (good), the government (good), but also not their teachers and doctors.

In the famous Coburg outbreak 2001 it was an anthroposophic school (Waldorf), infection rate 1000 of 200.000, no one died. In all subsequent outbreaks it was always such a school. The virus is transported from Waldorf School to Waldorf School with an average vaccination rate of only 60% compared to 90% elsewhere. Hence it could not jump over to the neighboring districts. Why these schools are not yet forbidden is interesting. But you can safely call it a Waldorf illness.

> Dying of measles we would be an effective darwin test

No, your children dying of measles is a Darwin test.

Only if you willfully didn't vaccinate: Otherwise, it is just that:

1) You are poor and can't afford medical treatment in time. 2) Very young and haven't been vaccinated 3) Not young, but don't have immunity for a variety of reasons, including unable to be vaccinated and immune system issues. 4) You are simply unlucky

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