The Claim:
A headline from Del Bigtree’s anti-vaccine organization claims that an outbreak of measles in Maine was “vaccine-induced all along.”
The Facts:
This is the first time we agree with an anti-vax headline talking about the measles “outbreak,” specifically with an outbreak in quotes. We agree because this was NOT an outbreak of measles.
In fact, there wasn’t even a case of measles. What this was was a rash, which is a known side effect of the MMR vaccine. This rash can occur in about 5% of the children who get the MMR, typically after about 7-10 days, and is not a sign of illness or contagious, even though they might test positive for measles at first.
The CDC didn’t hide anything, as there was nothing to hide. The child just didn’t have measles, but simply had a known and uncomplicated reaction. Reading this event any other way is cynical, seeing public health agencies as nefarious organizations trying to trick people. But they gained nothing from this news story.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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