Flying Now Puts You At Risk Of Measles Exposure, CDC Says

Airports are full of people, and sadly, far too many people still choose to fly even when they’re sick, which means you could get sick. It’s been that way for a while, but at the very least, you used to be able to count on everyone (or almost everyone) having their vaccinations, so you didn’t have to worry about catching some old-timey disease we eliminated a long time ago. That’s no longer the case, and it’s gotten to the point that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is cautioning travelers about the risk of measles in airports.

Yep, thanks to all the idiots who decided they didn’t need modern medicine, measles is back in the U.S., with more than 1,100 cases reported so far this year, CNN reports. As it turns out, when a bunch of parents stop getting their kids vaccinated, they get diseases we eliminated in the U.S. decades ago. Who could have guessed? And with plenty of travel still expected this summer, you now have to worry about the spread of a previously eliminated disease that can cause seizures and blindness. 

“Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings including travel hubs like airports and train stations, on public transportation like airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at large, crowded events. Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune,” the CDC said in an updated travel notice.

According to CNN, measles was officially eliminated in the U.S. back in 2000. There were still 85 cases reported, but those were all caught in other countries and brought back into the U.S. But as more people bought into conspiracy theories, especially in Texas, parents began turning their backs on science, and measles came back. Back in 2019, the worst year for measles on record since 2000, there were 1,274, and we’re already on track to more than double that this year. 

The good news is, the MMR vaccine still works, so as long as you’re up to date on your vaccines, you should be fine. Per updated CDC guidance, every adult should have two doses of the MMR vaccine, but infants between 6 months and 11 months old should get an extra dose if they’re traveling. The MMR vaccine is not, however, recommended for those who are pregnant, less than six months old or have weak immune systems. So while those who are vaccinated may have nothing to worry about, babies, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised definitely do. 

Dr. Peter Hotez, the co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, also told CNN that parents shouldn’t worry about their kids getting an extra dose of the vaccine, saying, “The MMR vaccine is one of the safest vaccines we know.”

Current Secretary of Health and Human Services and anti-vax hack, RFK Jr., may disagree, but germs are real, and they really get you sick. That’s just a fact. Vaccines also work and have worked incredibly well for decades, regardless of what Republicans want you to believe. So far this year, two kids and one adult have already died from the measles, and there’s a good chance we’ll see those numbers rise in the coming months as traveling anti-vaxxers spread their old-timey diseases to other travelers. And even those who live could easily end up hospitalized. 

“In the 1980s, measles was the single leading killer of children globally. It [led to] 3 million deaths annually. Now, through the GAVI Vaccine Alliance and other programs, we’ve brought it down to around 100,000 deaths, but it’s still a lot,” Hotez told CNN. “And we’re seeing what happens in West Texas. Ten percent, 20% of kids are being hospitalized, measles, pneumonia, neurologic injury. We’ve had over 90 hospitalizations so far in Texas and two measles deaths.”

A healthy diet that contains a variety of foods is great, as is exercise, but anyone who tells you a healthy lifestyle alone will keep your kids safe from measles is lying to you. Germs don’t care about your feelings and will get you sick. Period. So make sure everyone you travel with has their shots. Otherwise, that summer vacation you’ve been planning could come to a nasty, early end.