by Noah Klein. To Whom it May Concern: You recently published a letter, “I got the Measles, and gave to my wife and child” about the recent measles outbreak in Detroit. Please allow me to clarify what was sent in the middle of the night by someone still experiencing the effects of the virus.
1. A meshulach from Israel unknowingly contracted the virus while in NY. He spread the virus throughout the Detroit Jewish Community while going from Shul to Shul.
2. The first wave of people to get sick included many who thought they were properly vaccinated. These were people born between 1957 and 1985 who received only a single MMR vaccination.
3. Immediately, the Oakland County Health Department, Detroit Hatzolah, all three Orthodox day schools and the local Vaad came together for community wide vaccinations. In just 7 days, nearly 2,000 people were vaccinated. Protocol states that unless one has documented proof of two MMR vaccines, they must be re-vaccinated or have their titers (level of immunity) checked. The Vaad posted a letter noting that one is halachicly obligated to get vaccinated. The schools issued notifications that anyone without proper vaccinations, staff included, may not enter the building. No exceptions.
4. Unfortunately, measles often presents as the common cold; however, it is highly contagious, remaining airborne for 2 hours in any area the infected person has visited. Symptoms include runny nose, sore throat, dry cough and fever. The red spots do not appear for four or five days after one is contagious. As such, there is now a second wave of people.
5. In response to those who feel that 34 (possibly 35) cases is not cause for alarm, I offer the following: Although an outbreak is defined as three cases not in the same household, had there not been WIDESPREAD vaccination, the number of cases in our community would be in the hundreds. The proof of this is simple: two people in anti-vax families contracted measles. Shortly thereafter the virus spread to others within their families. Those who tested positive within families who vaccinate, again, largely due to the incorrect assumption that they were properly vaccinated, remained isolated, and the rest of the family did not get sick. (My friend’s letter erroneously noted that his wife and child, who were vaccinated, got the virus. They later received laboratory confirmation that they were negative for measles.)
6. This is not about anti-vaxxers. Again, most people who contracted the virus thought they were immune. And yes, there have been two cases of people who received two MMRs and still contracted the virus. Although unusual, it is possible; the vaccine is only about 97% effective. However, receiving two MMRs significantly reduces the chance of getting measles. Unfortunately, they were among that 3%.
7. Measles in not the Chicken Pox! Measles is very scary and can lead to numerous complications including pneumonia, blindness, deafness, heart disease, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and death. There have been two cases that are quite serious and, in my friend’s case, several weeks later, he still suffers from terrible vision problems and weakness.
8. Lastly, the Frum Community is particularly at risk due to frequent travel and Shul attendance. If anyone is experiencing these symptoms they must remain quarantined until they have negative confirmation or are no longer contagious.
What needs to happen:
Purim was a catalyst for the second wave. One of our local tzadikim who runs around town reading Megila for those in need tested positive. Pesach is fast approaching and unless something happens, there could, chas v’shalom, be thousands of cases in dozens of Jewish Communities all over the world. Other Jewish communities must learn from Detroit. In only seven days we ensured that pretty much the entire community was vaccinated, either by providing proof or getting an additional MMR. The Rabbonim and Askonim must band together and encourage EVERYONE to ensure that they are properly vaccinated. If we do this before Pesach, we might be able to stop the spread of this terrible disease.
Thank You!
Noah Klein
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
Please get documentation – from the 2000 how many people had a reaction to the vaccine.
lets let out the numbers pro vaxxers lets be honest – its about time you see for yourself that vaccines have side effects yes and some are very dangerous,
enough with the stupidity that vaccines are 100% safe as drinking water
No one locally has had any abnormal side effects.
But since you’re on the topic, let’s talk about the side effects of Chemo therapy, Insulin, Morphine, Pitocin, antibiotics, or the litany of life saving psychiatric drugs. I don’t see anyone fighting off chemo therapy for cancer, despite the massive arguments over chemo v. radiation v. surgery. What about nitrous oxide when at the dentist? What about daily vitamins, coffee or even sugar candy.
If you listen to your doctor about cancer, listen to your doctor about vaccines.
Do you know why we don’t hear about diphtheria, hepatitis A & B, malaria, meningitis, mumps, polio, rotavirus, small pox or wooping cough? Because of vaccines! If people like you continue your ridiculous nonsense, get ready for epidemics of deadly proportion.
Would you sacrifice your children for the cause? That is what’s coming. These things can KILL. Just ask anyone older than 65 if they remember small pox.
I agree that some people have side effects from vaccines. Id even venture to say that out of the 2,000 people, probably a good 100 got mild fever (talking 100.2 or lower) for maybe 24 hours. Oish, nebbach, that’s insane! Getting fever from shots? Much better, dint take the shots and don’t get fever!
But do take the shots, feel mildly uncomfortable for a couple hours, and know you will never get those diseases that can make you feel a whole lot more uncomfortable for the rest of your life.
Unfortunately, due to extremely insensitive, selfish pigs like you, we have people who get the shots and then still get the disease. But imagine if you became unscared of a drop of discomfort (im sure you’re not part of the EXTREMELY low percentage of people who can’t get vaccinated medically or who would get sent to the hospital when vaccinated due to extreme side effects) and imagine if all those selfish people got vaccinated, then we’d know for sure, you get vaccinated, you’re protected for life
You just can’t call your fellow Jews “selfish …” without exchanging your Schar Mitzvos for their Averos! You must issue public apology!
As everyone knows by now, your chances of getting protected for with 2 shots of MMR vaccine are – 97%.
Chances of dying from Measles are – 1 in 1000.
So its a no brainer for most normal people to just get vaccinated and move on.
But what about all those who have allergies, asthma, neurological damage, cancer etc.
All these thing were reported as possible side effects of differed vaccines for decades.
Yet, as of 2019…
Chances of getting severe side effects from any vaccine are – practicly UNKNOWN.
Risk factors for severe side effects are – UNKNOWN.
Real causes of SIDS are – UNKNOWN. 7000 per year in US.
Real causes for allergies are – UNKNOWN. 1 in 20 in US.
Real causes of autism are – UNKNOWN. 1 in 59 in US.
Real causes of cancer are – UNKNOWN. 1 in 22 in US.
If the relationships between these unknowns and current vaccination schedule were properly researched there would be allot less people being “selfish”…
Just one correction here, the chances of dying from measles is nowhere near 1 in 1000. Those numbers were from a study that looked at children in Africa (third world country) whose mothers had HIV (compromised health). If you want a more realistic number, you would need to look at the death rate in the USA before the measles vaccine came out. It is estimated that 4-5 million children had the measles that year and 396 people died. That is about 0.012% chance of dying. You have a higher chance of dying in childbirth than you do of dying from measles. FAKE NEWS!!
I love how people say that allergies and asthma are caused by vaccines. My son was born and had allergies and asthma before he got any shots. I refused the first shots in the hospital saying my doctor would give them and I kept pushing them off because he was unwell and wheezing and he had to catch up on his shots later, once he was older and stronger. It was very clear that he was sick without having shots.
Do you have proof that shots actually cause these things or do we just make things up?
“UNKNOWN” – means mainstream medical science does not have 100% reliable evidence either way. There are researchers who suggest a connection between all the UNKNOWNs I listed and vaccinations. You’ll find out more if you do your own research.
Allergies or sensitivity are known to be caused by injection of proteins into bloodstream since early 1900s.
My point was – why real causes of these UNKNOWNs are not being vigorously researched and explained to us! Main stream medicine in our days likes to invest billions in treating symptoms with expensive drugs instead of finding and eliminating true causes of the disease.
Some people are predisposed to allergies etc. Yet, where is the genetic testing for that? Why “NJ diet” genetic test can tell me more about what foods are bad for me then my primary doctor?
Drinking water is not safe! Do you have any idea of how many contaminants are in your drinking water?! Although there are standards, 100% of children on the autistic spectrum have drank water. It’s a huge cover up by the drinking water manufacturers!!
Yes, we are in a difficult dilemma. Actually, this was predicted years ago by none other than….the anti-vaxxers. Here is the logic. Immunity to the measles is life long IF you actually get the disease.
If you get vaccinated, immunity wears off over time. So most adults are now NOT immune even if they were vaccinated. According to the Ocean County Health Department (posted on the Lakewoood Scoop) about 20% of those who got the measles in the last outbreak WERE in fact vaccinated. That means that it is the vaccinated population that is, inadvertently, spreading the disease. In years gone by, when I was a child, kids got the measles – but NEVER adults. Now, as an unintended consequence of mass vaccinations, adults have never developed true immunity to measles. If we really want to prevent another outbreak we need to make sure that ALL adults get the MMR boosters every 10 years. How likely is that? Will the government make it a prerequisite of employment. So not only will we have NO SHOT, NO SCHOOL; we will also have NO SHOT, NO JOB…. Sounds a little bizarre.
What we desperately need now is a study comparing the health of fully vaccinated children.to fully unvaccinated children so we can make an informed choice. WHY has this never been done? We do these studies for diet, for exercise, for smoking – why not for vaccines? The health of our children – NO, the entire community rests in the balance.
.
In 2008 the antivax community did a 5 year study on vax and anti-vax kids 5years came 5years went and the study was never released Why did the results not say what the anti-vax wonted it to say?
It is astonishing the level of sinas chinum generated by this topic. The question of vaccine safety is obviously a hotly debated topic with experts on both sides screaming that they are fighting for the safety and health of our children, the immune suppressed and the elderly.
If we would be honest with ourselves we would recognize that the only one that can truly keep us health and safe is The One Above. And Hashem is surely not happy with this level of sinas chinum. Machlokes is bad for us no matter what topic it is disguising itself in.
For those who are true believers and truly care for the health of their brethren the answer is to promote ahavas yisroel and not to stoke the flames of sinas chinum..
Let’s stop the name calling, the anger and the vitriol and let’s do things that encourage shalom and chessed.
To Wise Grandmother
A study has already been done if no one gets vaccinated. Before the vaccination was invented people died. Thats why people vaccinate. The ONLY reason why anti vaxxers don’t die is because everyone else vaccinated. If everyone were to become antivaxxers we would be back to square one. The antivaxxers are living off of the backs of vaxxers.
Pretty selfish don’t you think?
Correlation does not equal causation. If you look at the death statistics of most of the diseases we vaccinate for, the death rate had already dramatically dropped well before the vaccine was introduced to the public, some were almost by zero (measles included). People stopped dying well before the vaccine came out. Also what about all the diseases that people were dying from at the beginning of the 20th century that is almost nonexistent today even though we were never vaccinated for them? Scarlet fever, cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid etc etc. Where are all the mass epidemics of these diseases which we don’t vaccinate for????
Noah Klein, don’t claim so knowingly that no one locally had any abnormal side effects. I know had one (still suffering) after getting vaccinated when the first case of measles came to detroit back at the end of October or early November. (I don’t remember exactly when it was) anyway, don’t you see this is yad hashem, Hashem obviously wanted to bring measles back to this side of the ocean so it came via a meshulach (not some antivaxer who is shooting diseases when they feel perfectly healthy). We can not eradicate measles (or any other disease ) only Hashem can. What would you say if the meshulach had brought in the Ebola virus? That is way deadlier than measles AND THERE’S NO VACCINE FOR IT. Thank Hashem it was only measles and daven that everyone should get well, vaccinated or not.
For all posters of ‘factual’ info, please post your name so your comment is credible. No name = FAKE NEWS!!
I just have to answer ‘other’ who falsely claims that there is no vaccine for Ebola. After the last outbreak that threatened to become a pandemic, a working vaccine was finally created. While it is true that in general hygiene has improved, including access to clean water and proper sewer systems (a leading cause of cholera and typhoid, though I do believe cholera has a vaccine available, as does malaria and if one is traveling where there is a high occurrence of that disease, they must get vaccinated), there is still nothing more effective at erradicating diseases as vaccinations. The proof is the current low number of childhood diseases and deaths. Do you know how many babies died of whooping cough? While 100 years ago it was a fact of life, nowadays it’s just seen as tragic and preventable! Also, these diseases may not kill you, but their side effects and complications such as measles can cause hearing loss and more, Polio didn’t kill everyone it affected…but the alternative is to fear a slim to none possibility if a vaccine complication? Anti-vaxxers need to wake up and realise that vaccines save lives. Period.
Can an antivaxer explain this to me? Are you against all vaccines including polio,dTap and meningitis or only some like chicken pox and measles?