Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => Politics & Current Affairs => Topic started by: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 01:32:16 PM

Title: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 01:32:16 PM

I know that distance and perhaps 'race' affects how much attention is paid to stories but why does this not get the coverage Ebola did? Is it that we are relatively safe because of vaccination?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-50506743

Title: Re: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: Roses on November 25, 2019, 01:41:19 PM

Quote from: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 01:32:16 PM

I know that distance and perhaps 'race' affects how much attention is paid to stories but why does this not get the coverage Ebola did? Is it that we are relatively safe because of vaccination?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-50506743

Here is the UK we won't be safe for much longer as there are quite a lot of parents refusing to let their children have the MMR vaccination and in consequence there have been outbreaks of measles.  :o

Title: Re: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 02:13:23 PM

Quote from: Littleroses on November 25, 2019, 01:41:19 PM

Here is the UK we won't be safe for much longer as there are quite a lot of parents refusing to let their children have the MMR vaccination and in consequence there have been outbreaks of measles.  :o

That's why I used the term 'relatively safe'

Title: Re: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: jeremyp on November 25, 2019, 02:40:54 PM

Quote from: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 01:32:16 PM

I know that distance and perhaps 'race' affects how much attention is paid to stories but why does this not get the coverage Ebola did? Is it that we are relatively safe because of vaccination?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-50506743

Measles outbreaks happen all the time. They are not normally news. Measles has always been a bigger killer than ebola in countries without the level of medical resources or basic nutrition of the affluent West. You've got a better chance of surviving it than ebola but a much higher chance of catching it.

Title: Re: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 02:44:39 PM

Quote from: jeremyp on November 25, 2019, 02:40:54 PM

Measles outbreaks happen all the time. They are not normally news. Measles has always been a bigger killer than ebola in countries without the level of medical resources or basic nutrition of the affluent West. You've got a better chance of surviving it than ebola but a much higher chance of catching it.

So you think that it is a matter of frequency which leads to the lack of coverage as opposed to the question of relative safety here?

Title: Re: DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Post by: jeremyp on November 25, 2019, 02:50:29 PM

Quote from: Nearly Sane on November 25, 2019, 02:44:39 PM

So you think that it is a matter of frequency which leads to the lack of coverage as opposed to the question of relatively safety here?

Yep. Familiarity breeds contempt as they say.