Canada loses its measles-free status, with US on track to follow

Resurgence drivers and epidemiology

• Canadian and US measles outbreaks are traced mainly to low‑vaccination conservative religious communities (Mennonite/Amish), not generic social‑media “anti‑vaxxers.”
• A key chain: traveler from Thailand → New Brunswick wedding → Mennonite communities in Ontario → spread to Alberta and a similar Mennonite cluster in West Texas.
• Alberta has areas with <30% coverage; multiple separate introductions there, not just one chain.
• Two Canadian infant deaths (too young to vaccinate) are highlighted as an illustration of why herd immunity matters.

Blame, politics, and trust

• Some commenters blame Alberta’s political climate and US Trump/MAGA‑aligned anti‑vaccine rhetoric, including putting vaccine skeptics into advisory roles.
• Others argue the deeper problem is erosion of trust in institutions (government, pharma, academia), citing the opioid crisis, research reproducibility issues, and perceived COVID “lies.”
• Counter‑argument: distrust is being actively manufactured and weaponized; conflating “the establishment” into one malicious bloc is misleading.

COVID as turning point

• Strong disagreement over COVID policy: some see beach closures, 6‑foot rules, early mask messaging, and talk of herd immunity as “quasi‑scientific” or deceptive; others say decisions were made under uncertainty and later corrected.
• Debate over whether statements that vaccines prevent infection/transmission were lies vs overconfident, time‑bound claims that changed as variants emerged.
• Many think these communication failures significantly boosted generalized vaccine hesitancy.

How to handle hesitancy

• Split between those favoring evidence‑based dialogue and those arguing shame and strong social norms work better for things like drunk driving and vaccination.
• Example discussed: parents fully vaccinating but spacing shots (max two per month). Some see that as rational risk‑management; others note it’s untested, may increase infection window, and is often mislabeled “anti‑vax.”
• Several stress that side effects (e.g., myocarditis, rare clotting with J&J/AZ) are real but far rarer and milder than disease; they want transparent discussion without fueling blanket fear.

Vaccine nuance vs “all or nothing”

• Multiple comments object to lumping all vaccines together: core childhood vaccines (MMR, polio, etc.) with decades of data vs newer COVID boosters for low‑risk children are presented as different questions.
• Some call for product‑by‑product risk–benefit analysis rather than treating any concern as anti‑vax extremism.

Access, cost, and policy

• In Canada and many other countries, routine vaccines (measles, flu, often COVID) are free; some see this as obviously cost‑effective.
• In the US, uninsured individuals report sticker prices up to $300 for a flu/COVID combo at some pharmacies, though others point to much lower retail prices, free county clinics, and loss‑leader programs.
• Several argue high out‑of‑pocket costs directly undermine herd immunity for diseases society claims to want to control.