Outbreak Of Measles Strikes Orthodox Jewish Community
Health experts say the outbreak reveals the degree to which immunity against the disease has eroded.
Los Angeles Times:
Measles Outbreak Grows In L.A.'s Orthodox Jewish Community Despite California's Strict New Vaccination Law
Six months after California’s strict vaccine law took effect, a measles outbreak has infected 20 people, most of them in Los Angeles County, prompting a search for others who may have been exposed to the highly contagious virus.Most of the patients live in western areas of the county, including L.A.’s Westside, the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley. Santa Barbara and Ventura counties each reported one case. (Karlamangla, 1/21)
In other public health news —
The Bakersfield Californian:
'A Hidden Health Crisis': Toxic Stress Driving Up Kern Death Rates
An invisible disease has been killing middle-aged white people throughout the southern San Joaquin Valley at higher rates than ever before. The disease can’t be detected by a blood test or remedied with a prescription. It’s been referred to as one of the country’s greatest unaddressed public health crises and a rising “epidemic of white death.” The disease is toxic stress, a result of childhood trauma and other environmental stressors like poverty, food insecurity and basic living needs not being met. (Pierce, 1/20)