Measles is scary because its death rate is in that controversy-brewing sweet spot, between “terrifying” and “innocuously endemic.” It can ruin the health of a whole lot of people, yet plausibly seem like no big deal to a layman, who will nod along when a demagogue politicizes quarantine measures.

It’s also horrifically, unbelievably contagious. It makes COVID-19 seem primitive. In fact, it reminds me of the optimal strategy in the old Pandemic video game, where you evolve the virus to be maximally contagious without triggering travel restrictions from dramatic symptoms.

…So yeah. It’s like the perfect disease to take advantage of the current US political environment. The one saving grace is that a whole bunch of folks are vaccinated, and no volume of Fox News or podcasters can undo it for them.

Crazy to believe the trend in Texas simply flat-lined after 20 weeks. Either the community’s quarantine response was phenomenal or the Texas agencies decided to stop counting new cases.

At least 2 measles cases confirmed inside Texas detention center as of Feb 2.

The cases were confirmed as the detention center was thrust into the national spotlight for housing Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who were taken from their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, last month despite the family having an active asylum case. Images of the 5-year-old wearing a blue bunny hat alongside ICE officers went viral, as the DHS has repeatedly said ICE was targeting the “worst of the worst” in its Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.

I wonder why the numbers have plateaued for Texas and New Mexico