The whole situation regarding childhood vaccinations and childhood illnesses continues to worsen. And not just in the USA, where there are obvious reasons for the problems.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on the planet, and it’s estimated that the measles vaccine saved around 60 MILLION lives in the first 24 years of this century alone.
But all that is changing: and because measles is so very contagious, it’s changing fast. We had control over this terrible disease which maims and kills young children. No more.
On January 23, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced six European countries lost their measles elimination status: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan. Canada lost its elimination status late last year. This means measles is no longer a random event in these countries; it’s endemic and freely flowing.
First World Countries! It’s embarrassing.
So millions of lives saved, sure. But equally, millions in danger again now. And it’s just so infuriating, because we have spent so many years on fighting this, so much money, time and effort on trying to make a positive difference, and we actually did it. We were winning.
And then some knobheads wrote some stuff on Facebook and it all started to unravel.
If those knobheads were scientists, microbiologists, vaccinologists, then I’d consider that maybe they had a point. But they’re not. They have no experience of science, experimentation, research or anything like that. Of course, they have their own areas of expertise, but imagine if you went into their place of work and told them that everything that they were doing was wrong, corrupt or dangerous? Imagine if you pretended that you knew more than them about hairdressing or plumbing or bricklaying, even though they’d been doing it for 20+ years, and you’d never even tried it?
They’d rightfully tell you to F off. Yet, for some reason, they’re all experts when it comes to vaccines.
It’s happening locally too. Diphtheria – DIPHTHERIA! – a proper, old school, medieval disease has killed 19 people in the last few months in South Africa. And with a current mortality rate of 21%. That, as the locals say, is pretty hectic, bru.
Yeah. That one really slipped beneath the radar.
It’s completely and utterly preventable. Those people could still be alive. No suffering, no illness, no grieving families. But…
Vaccination gaps appear to be a key driver of vulnerability. Among children aged 12 years and younger who fell ill, several were unvaccinated or had not received booster doses, while others had only completed part of the infant immunisation schedule. The report stresses that protection depends not only on early childhood vaccination but also on booster doses later in life.
The South African healthcare system may have its problems, but access to childhood immunisation really isn’t one of them. You can’t pin this one on them – this is all about the parents making poor decisions based on what they have seen on social media.
How can we stop it? I don’t know.
The lack of trust in the the healthcare systems and industry shows no sign of going away, and the unbridled misinformation spewing forth from social media and the US Government is, if anything, increasing.
At a personal level, get vaccinated. And get your kids vaccinated. There’s no excuse for your kid getting diphtheria: we immunise at 6 weeks old. And in SA, we give our first measles vaccination at 6 months. If your country doesn’t, then given the current situation, it might even be sensible to talk to your doctor and discuss early vaccination.
Choose wisely. Make sensibly informed decisions.
Doctors spend several years of their lives learning how best to look after your health. Amazingly, despite your alleged innate knowledge of your own body, they do know what’s best for you. The do have the expertise and the knowledge to make good decisions for your well-being.
The car mechanic up the road might be great with engines, but honestly, he knows fuck all about the benefits of vaccinations. Don’t believe what he says, unless it’s about spark plugs.
Oh – and if I didn’t mention it enough earlier – get vaccinated. And get your kids vaccinated.
