"Most People Getting Measles Are Adults." Yep, 60%. Are we barking up the wrong tree?

Source: Most People Getting Measles Are Adults

Data from CDC: (Source)
Age Distribution of Confirmed Cases
Age (Years)
< 1 year old = 8%
1 - 4 yrs old = 14%
5 - 19 yr old = 18%
>20 yrs old = 60%

In lieu of the heated debate about vaccination of school-age children, looking at the CDC's statistics, we see that most of the the outbreak is hitting adults, and children who are too young to be vaccinated (less than 1 year= 8%) or those only old enough to have one of two recommended vaccinations (1 - 4 yr olds = 18%) Less than 20% of the infected persons fall into the age group who are at the heart of the vaccination debate.

Many questions have arisen concerning the efficacy of the measles vaccine itself. Does it "wear off" over time? If so, why is there no outcry from the pro-vaxxers concerning adults getting a booster, considering they are clearly most effected by the outbreak, hence the true 'carriers' and danger to the 'herd.'

The following article on the history of the measles vaccine is fascinating. Among other things, it explains this:

Before the era of vaccination, natural measles would mostly occur in younger children. But with the advent of vaccination there was an upward shift in age of infection to adolescents.

The number of measles cases reported in 1976 and 1977 increased to the highest levels since 1971. Much of the increase resulted from localized measles outbreaks, many of which occurred in school populations, particularly among the 10- to 19-year-olds, in communities believed to have high immunity levels. . . With the recent shift in age distribution of reported measles cases to older age groups, effective epidemic control may require vaccination of susceptible high school and college-age persons as well as preschool and younger school-age children… [21]

Because of this shift, the vaccine needed to be administered to this older population that historically would have gotten measles much earlier and had lifelong immunity. A significant percentage of this group developed fevers just as high as or higher than if they had had natural measles.

Because of the upward shift in age distribution of reported cases, the immune status of all adolescents should be evaluated. Complete measles control will require protection of all susceptibles; therefore, increased emphasis must be placed on vaccinating susceptible adolescents and young adults. . . about 5%-15% of vaccinees may develop fever >103 F (>39.4 C) beginning about the sixth day after vaccination and lasting up to 5 days…[22]

Source

No one argues that it is MORE dangerous to get measles in adulthood. If the vaccine DOES lose effectiveness, are we not simply risking the delay of the onset of measles to adulthood when complications are so severe? Also, prior to measles vaccination, breastfed infants were protected from measles (and other illnesses) thru their mother's natural immunity until their system was old enough to 'handle' measles. Now, if a mother's immunity has worn off, her infant is also at risk, while too young to receive the vaccine.

I'm just glad I had the measles as a child. I don't have to worry about whether or not my vaccine will work now that I am an adult. I did have my children vaccinated. They are now adults. I hope and pray their immunity lasts. I have immunity for life.

I'm just asking - Are we barking up the wrong tree by focusing disdain on non-vaccinated school-age children, when most of the infected individuals are actually adults?

Accidently edited my post to nothing:

Adults are not getting their booster shots meaning they are more likely to pass on the disease to children for whom the adverse effects are FAR more damaging.

a reply to: new_here

Exactly what the wall of propaganda is trying to obscure and distract from. Kudos to you.

Keep an eye out. Merck is pushing for a 3rd mandatory shot in the child's teens. Cha-ching $$$$$$$.

a reply to: new_here

You're putting the cart before the horse. First they make it mandatory that the children get it, it's always "For the children" than they have their foot in the door for making everyone else do it too. "If we make children do it, than we can make that jerk down the street take them too! also, we need to raise taxes for this to be more effective"

Thanks for the info, I've been meaning to look it up. As I recall, I had the measles twice as a child. I had them when my brother was in ele school and brought them home to me, a pre-schooler at the time, then I had them again once I started school.

I THINK. Parent's aren't around anymore to ask.

I've wondered if I could get them again. (Yikes)

I don't know. I got both a tetanus and MMR booster about 4 years ago prior to getting pregnant. I am an adult.

a reply to: InverseLookingGlass

Lol! You anti-vaxxers are really hyping up the denial now that you're (rightly) getting roasted in the media and public opinion is turning on you.

originally posted by: GetHyped
a reply to: new_here

Not enough adults are getting their booster shots meaning more chance of infecting children for whom the adverse effects of the disease are FAR worse.

Actually, it is more dangerous adults over the age of 20, and children less than 5.

Complications are more common in children under the age of 5, or adults over the age of 20.

Source: WHO website

But my question remains: If most of the infected are adults, why no public outcry about them being a danger to public health?

a reply to: GetHyped
No personal attacks in this thread, please. Just answer the question: Why is there no focus on the susceptibility to measles in adulthood, since 60% of the cases are adults?

a reply to: new_here

Probably because of the nature of public schools and the general unhygienic nature of small children.

originally posted by: ketsuko
I don't know. I got both a tetanus and MMR booster about 4 years ago prior to getting pregnant. I am an adult.

I might have to look into that. I know the polio vaccine wears off too, and I'm probably outdated on that as well.

*liw curses and swears at the thought of having to go through that stuff again*

a reply to: new_here

totally up the wrong tree I think.

This whole business of scaring people is done purely to sell vaccines. Generation upon generation of kiddies have had the three main kiddies illnesses and fully recovered from them. We all took our little ones to other kids with measles, chickpox and mumps in order to get these illnesses over with before school.

Conquering illness is our immunity system's job and when these illnesses are suppressed by vaccines do our kids immune systems develop as they were designed to, or are we actually compromising in some way our immune systems? I wonder because with all the care we have today, the newspaper said 1 in 2 now will get cancer - so our immune systems and natural defences have been weakened by something as never before. I can't help wondering how we have become so susceptible to diseases, the statistics have never been this bad before?

I would also ask people to think about how much money these companies make vaccinating every child in a country? Vaccines are huge business and also easy business. We already know the flu vaccine does not help yet didn't poulson or some multinational make a fortune from it?

So are we doing such a good thing allowing our babies to be vaccined for ordinary kiddies illnesses. I do agree when it comes to polio, small pox and serious diseases that cripple and kill but measles - how did mankind manage before these 'Oh so necessary vaccines' became such necessities or is there necessity to our kids purely such major contributors to the profits of the chemical companies they benefit from scaring parents into agreeing to letting their kids have these vaccines?
As its adults that are getting measles today its a shame they were not exposed to them when they were little as we all were, especially mumps.

a reply to: new_here

Oh, I really love this nice!

So since vaccines lose their immunity over time. natural immunities stay a lifetime and because measles is more dangerous to adults which make up for 60% of the victims...we can deduct that vaccinating children against measles is irrelevant.

I hope this brings pro mandatory vaccine people on the fence if they don't mind facts.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: new_here

Probably because of the nature of public schools and the general unhygienic nature of small children.

There is no focus on susceptibility of measles in adults, because children in schools are unhygienic? Not sure I follow your thought process. Are you saying the adults got measles from unhygienic children? I want to know why the adults are susceptible to start with, and in such a large percentage of the sampling.

I don't know, I haven't got the measles since I got them when I was a kid. The natural immunity does not require a booster I guess. Now when I got the measles, a planned event if I remember, I didn't get them very bad. Nobody seemed to get them bad. I guess they searched hard to find the pictures they show on the sites promoting measles vaccines. I don't remember of any kids dying of measles at all where we were from.

I don't understand why we need a vaccine for measles in the first place. The people who got the measles never have to worry about getting them again. Get them when you are young. It is not good to get them when you are older.

How many of the people who got the measles this time were vaccinated? If the vaccination was any good it should have protected them, when you get natural immunity it protects you from even mutated measles. I also think we went the wrong way with too many vaccinations. The mumps are more dangerous, and maybe the Rhubella. I do not know much about Rhubella as to how bad it can get.

Other countries do not get nearly as many vaccinations as us in the USA. They are smart, they let our government mess up so they can learn the complications that can happen. I doubt if they will allow their people to get all these vaccines after seeing the results of the greedy and fear mongering that is going on here.

a reply to: Shiloh7

This whole business of scaring people is done purely to sell vaccines.

No, it's not.

Measles is not the deadliest illness out there, but it is deadly, and not only that, a great number of people will get so sick that they need hospitalization.

There are no room or manpower to take care of those sick people if it wasn't for the vaccine.

It is mostly to ease the burden from health care infrastructure, and to save those "few" that will die.
If the vaccine wasn't there you would see a flood of people occupying hospital beds for a relatively small reason, but with great cost.

What vaccines will do to the human immune system in the future, is not a question i can answer.

Im wondering of the adults who contracted the measles, how many are illegals. It would make sense, if the adults who have got the measles, came from another country. Then they may have never been vaccinated. and personally its not like a vaccination is the end all of these virus's. its just making the virus or whatever work harder for your body to not reject

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: new_here

Exactly what the wall of propaganda is trying to obscure and distract from. Kudos to you.

Keep an eye out. Merck is pushing for a 3rd mandatory shot in the child's teens. Cha-ching $$$$$$$.

Cha-ching? Please. Vaccines are often given free of charge. Hell, you can get many of them for under $20.

a reply to: new_here

Since this is happening in the US SW, I wonder what the percentage is of the adult carriers being illegals?

Anti-vaxers are anti-vaxers; regardless of age. It's not just the anti-vaxers refusing to have their children vaccinated, the adult anti-vaxers are refusing to get the boosters. No conspiracy here; it only shows that refusing vaccinations/boosters affects people of all ages.