At least eight people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that started last month in the Philadelphia area. The most recent two cases were confirmed on Monday.

The outbreak began after a child who’d recently spent time in another country was admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with an infection, which was subsequently identified as measles. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health considers the case to be “imported” but did not say from where.

The disease then spread to three other people at CHOP, two of whom were already hospitalized there for other reasons.

Two of those infected at the hospital were a parent and child. The child had not been vaccinated and the parent was offered medication usually given to unvaccinated people that can prevent infection after exposure to measles, but refused it, the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported.

Despite quarantine instructions, the child was sent to day care on Dec. 20 and 21, the health department said.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    If any subsequent children die due to this outbreak, charge the parents that sent the sick child to daycare with murder.

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      This should just generally be the case with vaccine refusal. If you refuse a vaccine and kill someone, that should be manslaughter

      • Wahots@pawb.social
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        10 months ago

        Unfortunately, it’s difficult to prove, but I generally agree. I’d love mandatory vaccinations, particularly at school, so idiot parents didn’t spread communicable diseases through their defenseless children. Especially since those parents got all theirs, so they are basically just endangering the lives of their kids and their immunocompomised neighbors.

    • slurpeesoforion@startrek.website
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      10 months ago

      Regardless of if anyone dies, they put others at risk by not quarantining. I don’t view this as any different than waving a gun around in public. They should be prosecuted for endangering others.