2 Narita airport workers confirmed as having measles

The virus has an incubation period of 10 to 12 days.

This is the scariest part of diseases like this, you could be carrying it around and not know it until its too late.

Get vaccinated people!

Been a big problem/issue in America lately....

This really affects real things.. my wife currently pregnant can't go near any large groups because her rubella antibody count is low, despite having a top up a few years ago, and you can't have a top up while in the early stages and there have been several outbreaks.

My hospital is in no way prepared for this.

Been a big problem/issue in America lately....

Yeah it's happening throughout parts of Europe as well as Australasia, Asia and the Pacific. Things are looking pretty rough all over. Was only recently I heard about it being a big problem in America though.

So if you've been vaccinated and have vaccinated your children then what's the worry? Either they work and you have nothing to worry about or they don't work.

I believe vaccines work but it's silly to think those who don't get them will spread diseases around to those who have. Let people get them or not get them. The only ones who will worry are those who haven't.

@Hubert

It’s not that simple. Some people can’t be safely vaccinated (small babies, people with allergies, people with damaged immune systems).

It seems a bit unfair to put them at risk through a combination of ignorance and superstition on the part of healthy anti-vaxers.

@Goodluckglue, “foreign”? No diseases are “foreign”, especially measles, STDs etc. Hope the airport workers recover soon.

Here in Okinawa the uptake of vaccinations is below that which is needed to keep infections down, the rest of Japan is pretty well covered. Be well everyone, and vaccinate. Science proves it is the best way to lessen the impact of, survive, these viruses.

Remember when getting the measles was normal? And you never had to worry about getting it again once you've gotten it?

lol what's the big deal? Why is that even a news?

These parents who thought they were so smart 20-some years ago by not getting their kids vaccinated are finding out now the hard way about why vaccinations are necessary and important.

Get vaccinated!

I remember my parents explaining the science behind vaccinations when they took me to get a polio vaccine when I was in elementary school in the 1950's. I remember how positive they were about it. Fear of polio was a big deal back then.

I had my kids vaccinated against measles, mumps, chickenpox, tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, Rubella and TB.

Its a no brainer, catching these diseases doesn't make you stronger in fact it has the opposite effect, measles in particular can do lasting damage to your immune system.

Vaccinate!

Measles is a real problem, and the fact that we are dealing with it again when it should have been eradicated long ago is testament to the stupidity of a large sector of mankind.

My grandfather was blind in one eye due to measles, and he still got called up to fight the entire hellish length of WWII. If only he'd had bonespurs, he might have been saved that plight.

Its a no brainer, catching these diseases doesn't make you stronger in fact it has the opposite effect, measles in particular can do lasting damage to your immune system.

Or worse, they could kill you !

I can see that there are plenty of anti-vaccinate people reading along here on this topic, and I for one would LOVE to see what excuses they will give for NOT getting vaccinated or having their children vaccinated!

Remember when getting the measles was normal? And you never had to worry about getting it again once you've gotten it?

This is an historically and medically ignorant view of the disease. People can die of measles. Medical care has improved greatly in the last 100 years, but prior to mass vaccination campaigns in the U.S., measles was one of the top four leading causes of childhood death. Getting measles was common, but it was also dangerous.

What is perhaps worse, the measles virus wreaks havoc on the immune system, leaving it weakened for months and even years. Since measles was nearly eradicated in the U.S. and some other developed countries (prior to the recent outbreaks brought about by people failing to vaccinate, unregulated immigration from countries with poor vaccination rates, and travel to countries where measles is still endemic), the rates and seriousness of many other diseases also decreased dramatically. Doctors have traced this directly to the lingering effects of measles on the human body. If measles spreads widely in Japan, the U.S., or Europe, expect a wave of other diseases to follow at higher frequency and deadliness than the current generation has ever experienced.

Bloody irresponsible of a) the worker himself reporting to work like that (unless a doctor cleared him) and b) of the workplace ethic which still encourages people to deny they are sick. “Oh, it’s just a pollen allergy...” yeah, right, how often have I heard that!

He worked in the Terminal 2 building from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. the previous day, 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. last Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. last Friday

Long hours ?

-it did not disclose what service he had engaged in. 

Ah, Government information again. Would be useful to know if he worked in Baggage Handling or the Check-in counter at JAL... there's sort of a big difference there.

In Okinawa over 15% of the SOFA Status dependents 18 under are unvaccinated per 2017/18 stats from DODEA. Most of those unvaccinated received the religious or personal exemption waiver by signing the letter and turning it into the registrar. I just hope the outbreak on Okinawa continues to decline or they will be in for a very rude awakening.

”......unregulated immigration from countries with poor vaccination rates, and travel to countries where measles is still endemic), the rates and seriousness of many other diseases also decreased dramatically”

The downside of globalism! With Japan targeting 60 million inbound tourists a year, a large proportion of them from Asian countries with demonstrably deficient health services, we can expect more and more outbreaks such as this.

Australia had a few Measles out break all from foreign travellers, these unfortunate workers probably contracted it from travellers that shouldn't have been travelling.

I don't quite understand the scale of the problem or who is at risk.

I understand that the take-up rate of the measles vaccine in Japan is about 97% among children. That is considered high. I think that rate has been achieved over the last 30 years or so since the measles vaccine became part of the standard vaccination program. Does that mean most under-30s are considered immune? (Although I note one of the people mentioned in the article was a teenager.)

Can someone clarify?

Can’t remember but isn’t this one of the sicknesses kids often got when we were kids? Too long ago to remember.

@wipeout, thanks for the link.

But the article also says this, "Japanese rates of routine vaccinations are among the highest in the world." It seems there is more of a problem with non-routine (voluntary) vaccines. Measles is one of the routine vaccines, so it doesn't really explain a high incidence of measles, if indeed there is a higher incidence than other countries. (The comparison data in the article of reported cases between Japan and the US is for a single year only.)

In Okinawa over 15% of the SOFA Status dependents 18 under are unvaccinated per 2017/18 stats from DODEA. Most of those unvaccinated received the religious or personal exemption waiver by signing the letter and turning it into the registrar. I just hope the outbreak on Okinawa continues to decline or they will be in for a very rude awakening.

Do all of us here a favor and do not allow those who are not vaccinated off-base! Lock their butts down!

Thank you for this information though, I will be passing it along to the Health Department here along with the request to quarantine any and all US military folks here in Okinawa who are not vaccinated!

in Japan is about 97% among children. This is true, but it is the 3% that causes the problem. Look at it mathematically, if you have 1 million kids and a 97% vaccination rate, you still have 30,000 kids at risk of getting measles, Factor in the standard measles vaccine MMR lasts for 20 years, so may a big population of adults that needs a booster. The Narita worker was in his 30s ,so if was vaccinated when he was an infant, it stands to reason that MMR wore off and he was exposed by a foreigner traveler.

Can’t remember but isn’t this one of the sicknesses kids often got when we were kids? Too long ago to remember.

Yup. Used to be normal. Now Big Pharma is pushing vaccines that their CEOs don't give their own children. Everyone who pushes vaccines on others is a total tool of Big Pharma.

This is stupid, you get vaccinated, pure and simple and that this point, if you don’t, I think in order to root out this once eradicated disease, you get it done. People are so naive, not taking chance I m kids, they all got vaccinated and now in NY you are seeing a growing epidemic and it will only worsen and people will die if they continue to ignore the signs and medical advisors. I’m not a big medicine taking guy, but this one was a No brainer for me.

@serengoza. Dying of smallpox, getting polio etc used to be “normal”. Doesn’t mean we want that now.

Don’t push that big pharma BS. Vaccines are cheap. If there was some big conspiracy, they would want you to get sick and hooked on treatment forever. Lol, you probably think obesity with it’s related issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, joint degeneration, high cholesterol etc is a big pharma plot.

There's a measles outbreak in the US - it's already a public health emergency

People who aren't vaccinated are ordered by state governments to stay out of public areas - if they don't, they can be put on house-arrest

If one is not vaccinated, that's the kind of life one can face - when the public's health is at stake