Measles are on the rise.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this highly contagious disease is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system before quickly spreading throughout the rest of the body.
Unsplash | Luma Pimentel
Germany Considering Fining Parents For Not Vaccinating Children
The disease can be spread from person to person through direct contact and through the air.
Unsplash | Rex Pickar
Measles is considered one of the most contagious diseases in the world. Coughing and sneezing can easily transmit the virus from one person to another.
Children who haven't been vaccinated are especially vulnerable to contract the disease.
If it sounds serious, that's because it is.
But despite a readily able vaccine having been around since 1963, measles has made its way back into our culture.
The measles epidemic has definitely been felt throughout America.
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ABC News recently reported some startling numbers: in 2019, there have been a total of 764 cases of measles. And that number is only continuing to grow.
But this disease isn't exclusive to the United States.
Unsplash | Juliana Kozoski
WHO has revealed that in 2017 alone, about 110,000 people died from the measles virus worldwide.
They've also announced that measles cases in Europe have surpassed 34,000 since the start of the year. Just this week, WHO issued a warning to Europeans about the importance of preventative vaccines.
Germany wants to fight the epidemic by introducing a massive fine for anti-vax parents.
Unsplash | Jordan Whitt
According to Science Alert, Germany's minister of health, Jens Spahn, has proposed a bill which would fine parents 2,500 euros (about $2,800) for not vaccinating their school-age children against the measles virus.
The bill would also bar young children who haven't been vaccinated from attending pre-school.
Since the start of 2019, there have been 300 measles cases reported in Germany.
Unsplash | Hush Naidoo
While some Germans have called for vaccinations to be made mandatory nation-wide, others have argued that such laws would restrict individual freedom and the freedom of families.
For Spahn, this isn't an issue of fining people.
Unsplash | Pepi Stojanovski
Rather, he said, "The goal is to ensure that people are immunized."
He also said the issue of vaccinations is one that is repeatedly brought up in government but never dealt with.
"Whenever there is an outbreak and children or students have to be kept away from lessons, everyone says we could, we should do something - but not enough happens."
h/t: Science Alert
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