More Ranting about Vaccines

Ok, today I'm going to tackle the other side, the pro-vaccine people.

I read that the World Health Organization reported that 140,000 people died of measles in 2018.

And I thought, wow.  Just, wow.  That is an incredible number of people!  Obviously measles is a really dangerous disease!

I dug in a bit.  So that was totally and completely an estimate, based on some kind of models.  Not actually reported measles deaths.

There have been measles deaths.  The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is in the midst of a horrifying epidemic and over 5000 people have died of measles, most of them children under age 5.

So measles IS deadly, especially to children, no doubt especially especially to children in countries without an adequate medical infrastructure plus poor water supplies plus malnutrition...

I believe vaccination is a great thing, I do. I really do. Polio mostly wiped out here in the United States, and these widespread outbreaks are only happening where vaccination rates are low. 

However.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is, I believe, very much at fault publishing figures based on an 'estimate' from some 'model'.  It makes anti-vaccine people nervous, and I don't blame them.  Just stick to the facts, gentlemen and ladies.  Count up what you really know, the reported deaths in each country, and add them together.  That number will be enough to worry a lot of people authentically.

The DRC outbreak which has killed 5000 is the biggest outbreak in the world this year. So how do they come up with numbers of deaths over 100,000 for 2017 and 2018 and no doubt they will come up with  huge numbers in 2019?

Based on a MODEL?

I understand they are trying to scare people into vaccinating but they shouldn't.  I hate dishonest reporting in pursuit of some desired event, which in this case is vaccination.  There is a good argument for vaccination in at least poorer countries based on what has happened in the DRC.

Be honest, dudes.