TL;DR
The measles tragedy has been turned into a stage by anti-vaccine forces, while the real victims—sick children and suffering communities—are being ignored.
After measles killed a child in West Texas last year, two more died this week in Pennsylvania. But the most glaring thing is the other 'show' that follows.
Last year, when the author's friend arrived in West Texas to help, they bumped into people from the Children's Health Defense at the hotel—not to help, but to perform for the cameras.
Grieving families' names dragged onto the trending list before the burial
Families who just lost a child had their names publicly dragged out; some argued whether the child died 'with' measles or 'from' it, as if that mattered to the parents. Hospitals that tried to save the kids were blamed for failing to do the impossible.
Doctors appeared on camera pushing vitamin A as a substitute for vaccines, and schools proudly touted the lowest vaccination rates in the country.
The outbreak became a political theater, kids pushed off stage
Now, from the governor's mansion to the local coroner, politicians hold the mic, turning the outbreak into a stage. Information vacuums are opened wide by poor communication, and vaccine trust is directly attacked.
But the real protagonists are missing from this drama: the sick children and the suffering community. As long as this country refuses to face the real enemy, the deaths will not stop.
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