Anti-Vaccine Influencers Are Waiting for Someone With Measles to Die
The Real Truth About Vaccines
While we all know that measles is deadly, somehow anti-vaccine influencers never seem to get that message.
Or maybe they just conveniently forget about it each year…
Anti-Vaccine Influencers Are Waiting for Someone With Measles to Die
Of course, since measles is a life-threatening disease and so many people are intentionally unvaccinated, we know that tragically, if the case count continues to rise, someone will eventually die.
Just as many children will be hospitalized.
But first, how many have been hospitalized already?
This year, so far, at least 83 children and teens have been hospitalized. That’s surprisingly fewer than the 164 that were hospitalized last year.
What else?
Children with measles are hospitalized because they are sick, not just “as a precaution.”
In the Texas measles outbreak, last year, for example, some patients were hospitalized for up to 20 days! And most needed oxygen. A few others needed to be put on a ventilator in the ICU.
Plus, there was a case of encephalitis in a baby with measles.
Tragically, this year, there have also been cases of measles encephalitis in South Carolina, including at least one 7-year-child with a “prolonged” hospitalization and who ended up getting discharged to an inpatient rehab facility.
“Measles encephalitis developed in 2 patients and resulted in prolonged hospitalization; 1 of these patients was subsequently discharged to an inpatient rehabilitation facility and as of the time of this report is receiving ongoing outpatient therapy, and the other patient recovered but continues to have headaches and a vocal tic.”
A Regional Measles Outbreak — South Carolina, 2025–2026
A similar pattern was found in the Utah measles outbreak.
“The most common reasons for admission were hypoxemia (53%) or dehydration (27%); other reasons included electrolyte abnormalities, further diagnostic evaluation, sepsis, and shock. The mean length of admission was 2.1 nights (range: 0–7 nights). Four patients received treatment in the intensive care unit for vasopressor use, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, or closer cardiorespiratory monitoring.”
Measles Hospitalizations in Utah, 2025-2026
None were admitted ‘just as a precaution,’ as Alex Berenson suggests.
And of course, most cases have been unvaccinated.
What else?
At best, a typical case of measles, without complications, is a good week of a high fever - up to 104°F (40°C) to 105°F (40.6°C), deep cough, red, watery eyes that cause a dislike for bright light, sore throat, and irritability.
It’s not like the Brady Bunch measles episode!
US Measles Deaths
Lastly, not to scare you, but there is the risk of death when you have measles.
But then why haven’t there been any deaths this year, after all, there have been over 2,000 cases and the death rate is at least 1 in 1,000 cases?
Well, the easiest way to understand this is simply to know that the 1 in 1,000 risk is a population average from when measles is endemic.
It is not a guarantee of a death after every 1,000 cases.
That’s how we had three deaths last year among 2,279 cases. Well, four deaths if you include the child who died with SSPE…
Also keep in mind that as the case count rises, it becomes more and more statistically unlikely that we will continue to not have any deaths.
And know that the case count will continue to rise unless more people get vaccinated and protected. Something they can do with two doses of MMR, a safe vaccine, which has few risks.
More on Measles Hospitalizations and Deaths
What Are the Downsides of Getting an Early MMR for Your Kids?
From a Few Cases to Thousands - The Role of Patient Zero in Recent Measles Outbreaks
When Measles is Allowed to Run Its Usual Course, Kids Can Die
Anguished parents. Doctors in tears. Utah’s long measles outbreak takes a toll.
How the anti-vaccine movement is downplaying the danger of measles
I’m absolutely shocked,’ southern Utah hospitals caught in the center of measles outbreak