Live data from Hacker News

DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

bbc.com

41–50 of 119 posts

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#41
post #24

Every year, I take the vaccine against the seasonal flu, if possible. This is not primarily for myself, but for the people around me. The goal is herd immunity, that's how we win.

[flagged]

Flagged because this is false and this sort of misinformation actively harms others.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#42
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not a prisoner's dilemma, it's an idiot's dilemma. Confronting public idiocy saves lives, literally. I'm intolerant to idiocy, and will shoo away any loonie I come upon, sometimes physically.

This doesn’t sound like a life-saving approach at all. Helps to frame it as the idea, not the person, that’s idiotic. Then work on being a better communicator who’s powerful at getting concepts across.

I'm not sure - stigma can actually be quite effective at compelling action.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#43
post #32

I'll sound like a conspiracy theorist here but hear me out. The anti-vaxx movement is a successful underground propaganda attack by the Russians to weaken the population. They are also behind the election of unfit leaders and anti-European (read: anti-unity) sentiments, or more broadly speaking, making people argue about internal affairs so they're no longer a strong front against the outside world. Where's the state…

>a successful underground propaganda attack You could make the exact same argument about the ecological movements opposing nuclear power generation. Not sure if that goes along, or perhaps across, the point you are making.

It still strikes me as one of the greatest ironies in the last half century, that in trying to protect the environment from contamination from nuclear accidents, many encormnetalists have committed and condemned us to this path of climate change. Some even going as far as directly taking funds from big oil/coal.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#45
post #29
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have pretty much zero sympathy for adult antivaxxers who get infected. Why? Some of them will have been lied to by people who have considerable amounts of money to spend on disinformation, and we (who support vaccination) have done a poor job of explaining that vaccination is safe and effective. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/13/majority-... https://khn.org/morning-breakout/important-donor-to-ant…

Adults are responsible. I’m not trying to change their minds.

Most adults are just grown up children and should be treated with compassion even when they make idiotic decisions.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#46

I'll sound like a conspiracy theorist here but hear me out. The anti-vaxx movement is a successful underground propaganda attack by the Russians to weaken the population. They are also behind the election of unfit leaders and anti-European (read: anti-unity) sentiments, or more broadly speaking, making people argue about internal affairs so they're no longer a strong front against the outside world. Where's the state…

Evidence? I think most of these "Russian funded propo attacks" are vastly overstated.

We have our own monied interests to do that for us

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#47
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>a successful underground propaganda attack You could make the exact same argument about the ecological movements opposing nuclear power generation. Not sure if that goes along, or perhaps across, the point you are making.

It still strikes me as one of the greatest ironies in the last half century, that in trying to protect the environment from contamination from nuclear accidents, many encormnetalists have committed and condemned us to this path of climate change. Some even going as far as directly taking funds from big oil/coal.

The problem is and always has been NIMBYs far more than environmentalists

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#48
post #45
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adults are responsible. I’m not trying to change their minds.

Most adults are just grown up children and should be treated with compassion even when they make idiotic decisions.

That would be a reasonable outlook but antivaxxers spread cult like anti scientific beliefs that endanger the lives of many people beyind the individual antivaxxers.

This cult like behaviors isn’t deserving of ordinary empathy it needs to be seen for what it is and stopped. Fortunate many countries are doing this.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#49
post #48
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most adults are just grown up children and should be treated with compassion even when they make idiotic decisions.

That would be a reasonable outlook but antivaxxers spread cult like anti scientific beliefs that endanger the lives of many people beyind the individual antivaxxers. This cult like behaviors isn’t deserving of ordinary empathy it needs to be seen for what it is and stopped. Fortunate many countries are doing this.

Absolutely it needs to be stopped - all I'm saying is that those unfortunate bumpkins who have fallen for it don't deserve to die (or have "evolution take its course") simply because they are naive and gullible.

Not everyone is smart, some are easily manipulated or prone to irrational anxieties. They are still deserving of life and happiness.

Re: DR Congo measles: More than 6k dead in world's worst outbreak

#50

Last Week Tonight has a nice episode on Vaccines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VG_s2PCH_c It explains why vaccines are important, why "taking it slow" with vaccines is a bad approach, and other important stuff. Please vaccinate yourself and your kids.

[flagged]
Post reply on HN