You guys affected by the measles outbreak? (Vancouver, Camas: school district, taxes)

[MtnSurfer]

Hi,

I'm wondering how the recent outbreak affects most folks lives day to day, if at all? Obviously it affects those who contracted it. But what about others? For example, does it seem like more people are getting vaccinated now even if they hadn't in the past? Are some schools getting shut down, etc..? Just curious.

Derek

[Jimrob1]

I haven't lived in the area in a number of years now. I've been hearing about this outbreak, off and on when watching the Evening News. Ive also wondered about what's going on.

[texasdiver]

What isn't in the news is that this is mostly limited to the Evangelical Russian immigrant community who are anti-vaccers. If you go to the Clark County health department list of places affected, all the churches are Evangelical Russian churches. Other than a couple of Evergreen School District schools that are under watch warnings and not letting any kids or teachers in who don't have proof of vaccination, I don't think it is affecting daily life at all.

Honestly I hope this lights a figure under both the OR and WA legislatures to tighten up vaccine requirements to eliminate the personal belief and religious exemptions so that the only allowable exceptions are medical as is the case in many other states. They are WAY too lax about that sort of thing here in the Northwest and it needs to stop.

[notnamed]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

What isn't in the news is that this is mostly limited to the Evangelical Russian immigrant community who are anti-vaccers. If you go to the Clark County health department list of places affected, all the churches are Evangelical Russian churches. Other than a couple of Evergreen School District schools that are under watch warnings and not letting any kids or teachers in who don't have proof of vaccination, I don't think it is affecting daily life at all.

Honestly I hope this lights a figure under both the OR and WA legislatures to tighten up vaccine requirements to eliminate the personal belief and religious exemptions so that the only allowable exceptions are medical as is the case in many other states. They are WAY too lax about that sort of thing here in the Northwest and it needs to stop.

There is a bill in the works for that in WA. Apparently the bill supporters have been receiving death threats from anti-vaxxers over it. CA managed to get it done after their Disneyland breakout though.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?B...irvvwO8QLBCxiA

As for impact, it's just ignited a lot of anti-vax debate and vitriol in local groups. But there's no reasoning with someone once they've concluded the medical community is out to get them. Doctors office have measles warnings up all over the place. It's an embarrassment on the national stage.

[Jimrob1]

Thanks for the update.

Your correct its not been reported. I'm not surprised though, and I thought that might be the case. Hopefully the local Health Dept and state get it under control. Isn't it around 40 cases so far?
At least the cases that are known about.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by notnamed

There is a bill in the works for that in WA. Apparently the bill supporters have been receiving death threats from anti-vaxxers over it. CA managed to get it done after their Disneyland breakout though.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?B...irvvwO8QLBCxiA

As for impact, it's just ignited a lot of anti-vax debate and vitriol in local groups. But there's no reasoning with someone once they've concluded the medical community is out to get them. Doctors office have measles warnings up all over the place. It's an embarrassment on the national stage.

They are really irrational. My wife is a medical provider at a clinic in Vancouver. Yesterday she had a patient come in on his 18th birthday who asked to get all of his shots. He was from one of the Evangelical Russian immigrant groups and had not gotten any vaccinations up to that point. They happy gave him a full course of whatever he was missing that they could do in one day. His mother called the clinic furious when she got wind of it saying that she did not give her permission for him to get vaccinated. My wife told the mother "luckily for your son, he is 18 and doesn't need your permission"

They should really be prosecuted for child endangerment. Not just their own children. But in the case of the MMR vaccine, it is not given until 12-15 months of age so all babies under that age are succeptible to infection as are those with compromised immune systems who can't get vaccinated. There are certain responsibilities that come with living in a modern society. This is one of them. Just like paying taxes and driving on the right side of the road.

States like Mississippi and Maine have no religious or "personal beliefs" exemptions to vaccination rules. So they have something like a 95% vaccination rate. What we have here in the Pacific Northwest is an embarrassment. Oregon is behind Mississippi in both vaccination rates and HS graduation rates. That should completely embarrass any Oregonian who has ever traveled through rural Mississippi.

[texasdiver]

Patient Zero: https://komonews.com/news/local/meas...ss-church-says

[izzy2017]

I was shocked at the number of anti-vaxxers on our local NextDoor site. Not from the Russian communities but people I kind of know who live in Camas and send their kids to school here. It amazes me that educated people still believe the autism/vaccine story, I couldn’t believe how many local people were posting links to crap online about it. Yuck.

The county as a whole only has a 66% vaccinated rate for school aged kids and some schools (one in Camas) are as low as 29-30%.

[StealthRabbit]

One still has to accept (and appreciate) the fact the parents have choice, and have exercised that.

+/-,

and... there are acceptable options for living within that choice with out adding undue risk to others. (not participating in public / school events ).

After seeing generations of persecution and genocide, family and community exterminated, grandparents killed...... I would expect many immigrants are a tad adverse to 'State control' .

Californication will take care of that! (for the 'sissy-me-too-states' (OR &WA))

AK is the only left coast state with any bxlls. +/-

(I don't ascribe to ONE right answer for ALL, nor do I consider our immigrant populations as 'ignorant / mis-informed').

Prefer to be a 'listener / learner" than a condemner.

[texasdiver]

Well, it's definitely not migrants from Mexico and Central America bringing the measles. Mexico has a 99% vaccination rate and all the Central American countries are over 93% compared to our pathetic 66% in Clark County. Every country in Latin America and most African countries beat out Clark County.

https://theweek.com/articles/537527/...asles-outbreak

Russia has about a 50% vaccination rate so it is pretty obvious where the problem is coming from.

https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/...-problem-63017