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insidiouslybleak t1_j67fit8 wrote

Reply to comment by cubixjuice in TIL cholera was reintroduced to Haiti after a century by UN peacekeepers responding to the 2010 earthquake. The resulting outbreak was the worst on record, killing 10,000 and infecting 820,000. by theworkinglad

I wish that I lived in the kind of 21st century where I didn’t need to know anything at all about any of these diseases. I’m old, I’m vaccinated, I’m old enough to remember when these were historical problems that plagued humanity that had been solved. But here we are - polio in NY, measles in Ohio, that kid who died the most gruesome death imaginable from tetanus a few years ago in Oregon, pertussis in Alberta, drug resistant everything - I want my futuristic advanced civilization back. We as a species fuck up everything so badly and I hate it.

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Yurekuu t1_j67nmyg wrote

Well, I got curious about the tetanus case so I just wanted to let you know the boy didn't die. He recovered completely, though he suffered for two months, and his parents still refused to vaccinate him after.

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insidiouslybleak t1_j67pgla wrote

Oh, that poor kid. I can’t imagine the pain. Please tell me his parents have lost custody.

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NessyComeHome t1_j680kmh wrote

Cholera was never a historical problem. It was never close to being eradicated. You're having nostalgia for a past that never existed.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON426

Even the cholera vaccine used in the US isn't on par with what we, or maybe I should say I, think about when we think about vaccines. 85% protection for first 6 months, drops to 62% to 50% protection between 6 months and two years. After 2 years it drops below 50%.

While we humans have eradicated smallpox, we arn't anywhere close to doing that for any other disease.. which sucks, because even with 50% protection after two years, that's a lot of lives saved.

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rsh056 t1_j68w5lq wrote

I believe we're pretty close to eradicating guinea worm. And I think we're not that far off on polio either?

Regardless, even with thorough vaccination, it's tough to eliminate most diseases. All the more important to keep your up to date, since they'll still be out there!

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TitaniumDreads t1_j67wedl wrote

i like how we spent centuries at the mercy of measles and once we defeated it a handful of ding dongs took the side of measles

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