The California Department of Public Health, has responded to the sudden spate of “news” concerning the fact that there are parents who are eager to expose their children to measles intentionally rather than vaccinate them against the disease (measles parties, much like the chicken pox parties one hears about, intends to give the children a natural exposure!).
However, this issue has made its way into Snopes.com, a famed myth-buster site, which suggests that there is no hard evidence that such measles parties are taking place in any extent.
In any case, the CDPH has shown the prudence to issue an official statement not only condemning such a practice, but also denying that there is any information on the frequency of pox parties either.
“The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) does not have any information to share about the background or frequency of pox parties. But CDPH strongly recommends against the intentional exposure of children to measles, as it unnecessarily places the exposed children at potentially grave risk and could contribute to further spread of the outbreak. Measles is a serious illness that can have significant consequences. Thirty percent of people with measles in the current California outbreak have been hospitalized.”
– Dr. Gil Chavez, Deputy Director, State Epidemiologist, California Department of Public Health
Considering that measles is raging through USA right now, the last thing one needs is more propaganda that may expose children and susceptible adults to a potentially dangerous illness just because the misinformation crowds out the real information.
Scepticemia 