Why a worsening measles outbreak is a big deal

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/17/measles-outbreak-vaccine-children-families/

“I live in a retirement community where people love [Kennedy],” wrote Eve from Florida. “I hear them say things like ‘Measles is not that serious.’ They all got measles as kids. They didn’t get sick, it’s not even as bad as flu, so why the fuss? Some of them have family in Texas who aren’t vaccinating their kids. My reaction is that measles is very serious, but they say there have been only a handful of deaths, far less than the flu. So who’s right?”

You are. As I wrote in February, while it is true that most people infected with measles will recover quickly with no long-term consequences, complications affect as many as 3 in 10 infected individuals. Out of 1,000 unvaccinated children who contract measles, approximately 200 will be hospitalized. Fifty will develop pneumonia. Between one and three will die