A Measles Outbreak Isn’t Choose Your Own Adventure
The Florida surgeon general has left parents twisting in the wind by telling them to just use their own judgment.
Let it be your friend.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesA measles cluster in Florida is ringing alarm bells nationwide. In his response to the crisis, the state surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, has sent the dangerous message that public health is an individual choice rather than a collective calling. It’s a message that puts kids at greater risk today, and could further weaken trust in vaccines — and overall societal health — in the future.
Florida is the latest state to experience a measles outbreak, with 10 cases so far identified, primarily in Broward County. In a normal world, the very first case of the highly contagious virus would prompt the state’s top doctor to provide clear instructions for how to behave if exposed to the virus and forcefully advise the public to get any unvaccinated child up to date on their shots.