Katie Drummond: Got it. Wow. We’re in the midst of this outbreak that we talked about at the top. What happens now? Once a measles outbreak is out there, is spreading among a community, how do you contain something like that? What next steps would be necessary for the United States to actually get this outbreak under control?
Emily Mullin: Yeah. Well, this is a great question. We have seen measles outbreaks before. You might remember that there was a large outbreak of measles back in 2019 that was concentrated in the Orthodox Jewish communities in New York. It really took this strategic boots on the ground effort of going into the community, combating misinformation, providing culturally sensitive information about the benefits of the MMR vaccine to get rates up there. Because again, there’s no effective treatment for measles. This takes isolation, vaccination because to be clear, we’re seeing these measles happening because of declining vaccination rates nationwide. People are not trusting of vaccines right now. For measles, the vaccination rate in a community needs to be very high, 95 percent, to prevent outbreaks because it is so contagious. In Gaines County, Texas, which has the majority of cases right now, the kindergarten measles vaccination rate is 82 percent.
Katie Drummond: Wow.
Emily Mullin: That is why we’re seeing such a heavy concentration of cases there. But in New Mexico, in Lee County where most of the New Mexico cases are happening, measles vaccination rates are quite higher, around 94 percent. But again, this is a very contagious virus. We really need those rates up to around 95 percent. That’s what epidemiologists say is really needed for protection a community.
Katie Drummond: Just to underscore this one last time. The MMR vaccine, how effective is that vaccine at preventing measles in a given person?
Emily Mullin: One dose of the vaccine is 93 percent effective against measles, and two doses is 97 percent effective. That first dose is recommended for children usually around ages 12 to 15 months. Then that second dose is typically given when a child is between four and six-years-old.
Katie Drummond: Got it. We’re also, again, just talking about the most vulnerable people in a community, babies, young children, in terms of risk for contracting measles. Certainly seems like vaccines are a better option than cod liver oil, if I may say so. We’re going to take a short break. Thank you, Emily. When we come back, what you need to read on WIRED today. Welcome back to Uncanny Valley. I’m Katie Drummond, WIRED’s global editorial director. I’m joined by WIRED’s Emily Mullin. Now, Emily, before I let you go, I actually want to pitch you and our listeners on a story that everybody should read on WIRED.com today, other than the excellent stories we mentioned in this episode. That is a feature that we published today by WIRED Contributor Lauren Smiley. Lauren is an incredible journalist, an incredible narrative writer. She did a deep-dive into Boeing. If you are not already terrified of air travel given everything going on with the FAA right now and everything that has gone on with Boeing in the last several years, this story won’t make you feel better. I say that as someone who takes a lot of Xanax before I get on a flight. This story will make you feel more nervous about the safety of air travel. But it is this riveting narrative told through the eyes of a man who actually worked at Boeing for many years, had a lot of concerns about safety within Boeing manufacturing facilities, safety of the aircrafts, and frequently sounded the alarm inside the company. Until he ultimately left the company, and only then started to see terrible plane crashes, serious incidents with Boeing aircrafts that he had been in part responsible for actually manufacturing and creating. It’s all about his journey as a whistleblower, and how he has since leaving Boeing and becoming a whistleblower, he has actually become this focal point for the families of people who lost their lives in Boeing plane crashes. He has become a focal point for other whistleblowers who have come forward with damaging information about what’s going on inside the company. It really is the story of one man, his name is Ed Pierson, and his mission that continues through to today to reveal what he describes as serious missteps and misdeeds on the part of Boeing that affect all of our safety when we get into an aircraft. It’s an incredible story. Again, it will not make you feel good, but it is a very, very good read. I strongly recommend everybody giving it a look. Emily, I think you actually said that you had read this story earlier today, so I suspect you agree with me.