Australia eliminates measles cases - except for wandering 'spiritual leader' spreading it

[muriel_volestrangler]

Via Pharyngula

High take-up rates of the infant measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine has led to the elimination of the endemic measles virus in Australia, immunisation experts say. Researchers from the University of Sydney, writing in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, claim that in 2005 and 2007, Australia satisfied the main criteria of having a low level of measles infection, with less than one case per million people.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/11/2487452.htm

Excerpt for 2006:

Followers of a world-renowned Hindu spiritual leader famous for her "divine hugs" have been blamed for a measles epidemic across Australia.

A near quadrupling in the number of measles cases has been linked by health authorities to the thousands of Australians who flocked to see Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Amma, on her national tour last month.

The official number of cases has soared to 42, compared to a total of 11 last year.

Thirty-one are children aged between one and 13, none of whom were immunised.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Measles-outbreak-linked-to-Amma-faithful/2006/05/05/1146335903781.html

[TZ]

1. But measles is harmless..

Its the vaccine thats deadly..:sarcasm:
Only takes a few unvaccinated to do damage. Sometimes I wish the anti-vax loons would get a good case of the measles. Maybe that would teach them something...

[moggie]

2. She sucks

Literally. From a comment on that thread - but first, some spoiler space, for the squeamish...

















Are you sure you want to read this?










Really?











Ok:

When her village ashram was just starting out, a local leper came in for a hug. Amma embraced him and, in her mad compassion, licked his sores and sucked the pus out of his wounds, which she then covered with sacred ash. "That changed my whole life," the swami says. "Poor or sick, it doesn't matter, she embraces them. Shingles, chicken pox, infectious diseases -- she does not get them. Only love is exchanged.

:puke:

[semillama]

5. "Only Love is Exchanged"

Maybe she doesn't get them - but she sure as hell carries them around! Gives a whole new meaning to "Spread the Love" you know?

[lizerdbits]

9. OK

So I'm in the lab today for about 4 hours with no noise, and if you've been in that situation you know the bizarro things that pop into your mind:

"I suck on leprosy, baby, oooh oooh oooh oooh." I could actually hear the music! :rofl:

[Heddi]

3. Hugs hurt!

Reason number 23984 I am happy to avoid as much contact with people as humanly possible (unless, of course, I'm sticking a gloved finger up the butt as a part of my wonderful job where I routinely have to stick a gloved finger up a butt...oy)

[moggie]

4. The truth is out!

So you're a nurse because you hate people and just want to punish them by sticking things up them! Sounds like you have some huge unresolved issues there.

[Heddi]

6. well, it's because I hate indigos

See, when I was a growin' up, I was half indigo, half white, and I was teased mercilessly for it. It's those damn penetrating eyes that gave me away. The indigos were the worst, with their continuous questions of WHY WHY WHY. Bastards.

So I have to take out my angst on the world SOMEHOW....it's either fingers up butts, or sitting in a shed in the woods writing volume 528 of my Manifesto.....I don't really like the woods, so I went with fingers up butts. And, yanno, it pays the bills.

[AZCat]

7. When I was a kid, we had this record...

it was a collection of some of the Electric Company's Spider-Man skits from the 1970s. Great stuff, really campy. One of them was (I kid you not) Spider-Man vs. Mr. Measles. Spidey catches Mr. Measles before he can infect the whole city, but not before he infects Spider-Man. Anyway, that's what this lady reminds me of.

For those of you with a touch more curiosity than sense, this link should take you to the audio on YouTube. It's not been vetted yet by me ('cause dial-up sucks), so be aware that there might be a Rick Astley video on the other end of teh tube. You've been warned.

[Heddi]

8. HAY YOOO GUYS!

Man....what a flash back...

Remember Slim Goodbody? Man he creeped me out. He's like a half naked Howie Mandel. I didn't like that bodysuit either, not even as a child.....ick.





I like how his leotard implies that his colon ends at his penis.....double ick

[AZCat]

10. Wowzers!

No, I don't remember that, but we didn't have a TV when I was growing up. In retrospect I'm glad, because he would have creeped me out too!

We had another record, though - "Grover Sings the Blues". There was this song where Grover shrinks down and then does a tour of your body. My siblings and I used to wonder why he made an enormous leap from the kneecap to the bellybutton (missing what I would consider essential territory inbetween). Later on when we were adults it became wildly entertaining.

[Heddi]

11. What's the song list look like?

Your Mouth Is Made For Eating (and other things)

Nosey Schmosey Red and Rosey

I Got Them Low Down Obstruction In My Descending Colon Blues

Mommy, What Are Meat Curtains?

and other great hits

[AZCat]

12. Nahhh, much more pedestrian.

I'll do some searching tomorrow at work (faster connection) to see if I can find the jacket listing.