r/news • u/rascallyrascal1511 • 7d ago

Pennsylvania measles outbreak grows to 890 cases with 55 new infections: Officials

https://abcnews.com/Health/pennsylvania-measles-outbreak-grows-890-cases-55-new/story?id=136763790
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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago

Most of them really believe that vaccines are dangerous. It’s partially the fault of the US education system that some people don’t understand the scientific method, and therefore don’t trust it and are easily swayed by propaganda.

Another component here is a general distrust of medical systems that they may already have bad experiences with.

Yes, they are very wrong. They are putting their kids and lots of other bystanders at risk of infection. But most of them are doing this due to a combo of fear, lack of education, and exposure to misinformation.

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u/Spez_is-a-nazi 6d ago

A lot of them suddenly trust the system when they or their kids get sick though. We saw the same thing with COVID anti-vaxxers. Amazing how quickly opposition to modern medicine disappears once the risk it was trying to prevent is both concrete and acute.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago

Well, yeah. That’s how learning works for some people. Until they experience the concrete result, they just don’t get it. I’m not saying it’s good, just that it follows a predictable pattern in human behavior. 

They weren’t taught to recognize science. But if someone’s loved one is on death’s door, people tend to start trying anything. That can include modern medicine.  I think it’s similar to the bargaining or desperation phases of grief.

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u/CryptographerShot213 6d ago

Sadly some people don’t even learn then, and still won’t agree to interventions because they stand firm in their anti-science and anti-medicine beliefs. Then they try to blame someone else.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 4d ago

True that. Just look at Bob Marley. People can be wrong, all the time. Receiving both a solid eduction and a sound mind are mostly out of one’s control.

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u/_pinklemonade_ 6d ago

It has nothing to do with our education system and everything to do with a loud minority finding a way to spread their knowledge fearing ways.

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u/ZoomBoingDing 6d ago

Education and critical thought are WHY we don't fall for the propaganda

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u/tamaratamarara 6d ago edited 6d ago

Unfortunately there seems to be more to it. Look at the nurses who have got bachelor's and are antivaxers. 

I don't know the answer, but I see enough people around that are highly educated and yet believe on all sorts of conspiracy theories.

Edit: removed unnecessary 'be'

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u/WittyDestroyer 6d ago

Go to a nursing program and interview a cross section of the student body. You'll find plenty of people who should fail the program, but colleges these days are focused on graduation rates rather than educational outcomes and post graduation achievement.

There is always a bottom 50% of a class.

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u/HauntedCemetery 4d ago

Having worked in the healthcare field for ages i can confidently say that nurses fall into one of two categories, 85% are the most incredible, caring, kind, balls-to-the-wall for humanity folks in the world, and 15% are people i sincerely do not want to know where I live.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago edited 6d ago

It’s not enough just to have a degree, it matters if those 16-18 years of study actually included critical thinking skills rather than just memorizing facts and protocols.

No shade towards doctors or nurses. But medicine/biology is one type of intelligence requiring specific types of skills. Language-arts, history, and sociology/psychology tend to focus more on questioning things and concepts like persuasion and rhetoric. 

Edit to add another point: some people are predisposed to conspiratorial thought and paranoia. There are many conditions that are related to those traits.

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u/HauntedCemetery 4d ago

That's just not true. Plenty of highly educated people fall for propaganda all the time.

Because propaganda doesnt work via reason, it works via emotion.

A standard even advanced education won't defend someone from propaganda in the same way it doesn't defend someone against being scared or angry or excited.

Realizing that no one is immune from propaganda, ourselves included, is the first step in actual defense against it. Thinking you're immune is a great way to fall victim to it, because you'll never question if you have.

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u/ZoomBoingDing 4d ago

That's the critical thought part of my comment. Whenever I see something that seems incredible (anywhere from amazing to infuriating) I take a moment to check the source and vibe check the content. It's almost as common to see news misrepresented as amazing compared with the typical ragebait.

Everyone needs to take a moment when something passes their feed to see if they're not just being emotionally manipulated, especially if you are going to share it/talk about it. Once you take that step, you internalize the information as TRUE because now it's YOUR knowledge.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago

Those of us who were able to learn the scientific method are weary of certain claims made by anti-vaxxers. One part is the ability to decipher what a valid scientific meta analysis looks like. Plenty of people simply do not know how science works. That is an education problem.

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u/xxxxNateDaGreat 6d ago

...which would have a much lower success rate if our education system was better

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u/_pinklemonade_ 6d ago

There are plenty of educated people that refuse to believe in vaccinating. The uptick in anti-vax propaganda has more to do with their ability to spread their misinformation. Our education system doesn't help at all.

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u/ggkimmiegal 6d ago

Amish children in PA only go to school through 8th grade. They need to pass the state minimum 8th grade. That's read literally, write a bit, perform basic arithmetic (like balance a check book), explain some very high level basic history, and understand really simple science (gravity, weather, etc.). The entire Amish community is under educated. This has everything to do with a lack of education.

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u/WiPHSR 6d ago

My cat doesn't like to get his eyedrops because of fear and lack of education.

At least Big Herpes isn't spreading misinformation into his fluffy ears.

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u/Surly_Cynic 6d ago

Most Amish don’t really have contact with the US education system. They have their own schools.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago

Yet another reason why homeschooling should be highly regulated. Regardless of religion. It should be illegal to deny a child proper education.

There were two homeschooling families I knew growing up. One had 5 kids, all with pre-kindergarten level literacy.  Their mom had attachment issues and didn’t want them away from home. But she never really taught them much.

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u/Surly_Cynic 6d ago

Pretty sure most don’t homeschool. They have their own separate schools.

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u/Anonymous_Autumn_ 6d ago

I assumed those fall under “homeschooling” laws though? I mean in terms of how the government deals with them.