herd immunity
Manila, 10 February—People say it’s flu season, and I’ve been down with some form of it all week, and reading about the current measles outbreak has me all paranoid and mad. No worries though as I think I’m coming out of this just fine; just January getting to me, is all. I certainly hope this isn’t a preview of the year to come hehe.
Anyway.
Health experts have already warned us about this as early as last year—this February 2018 report quotes Health Secretary Francisco Duque saying disease outbreaks are possible because people are scared to have their children vaccinated following grossly exaggerated attempts by the Public Attorney’s Office led by Persida Acosta to link deaths of children to the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. (Here’s a really good and thorough account of how she did it via PhilStar.)
As early as last year—mere months after the November 2017 Sanofi announcement about Dengvaxia—there have already been measles outbreaks recorded in Davao City, Zamboanga City, Central Luzon, and at least one barangay in Taguig City, and at the time, DOH said the Dengvaxia scare was a factor in these outbreaks. For all of 2018, the DOH struggled to keep its vaccination programs going, only to meet scared, unwilling parents who at times even hid their children whenever health workers came to their homes for their scheduled vaccines.
And now, roughly fifteen months later, the outbreak is in Metro Manila. Which is probably why the alarm bells are louder than last year’s, and rightly so—San Lazaro Hospital, one of Manila’s busiest hospitals, has recorded at least 55 deaths due to measles alone since the start of the year, most of them among children between 3 months and 4 years old.
That’s batshit. That means people living in the same city as the DOH main office are refusing vaccines, getting infected, and are doing so while living in one of the country’s most densely populated areas.
All of this for what? So we could take the former president to a congressional hearing?
Anyway.
I saw a relatively new term while scrolling through discussions about this outbreak: Herd immunity, which is a form of immunity that arises when a big proportion of the population is vaccinated and protected. I mean, I’ve heard about it in science class before, but I really haven’t paid it much attention. A few good explainers:
VIDEO: What is herd immunity?
GRAPHICS: Herd immunity: How does it work?
The Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease has released this statement containing some tips on how to protect yourselves through this outbreak. Stay healthy, friends.
Other agenda
SURPRISE: The University Registrar of UP Diliman does not have records of Imee Marcos graduating from the university. This is giving me trust issues. Does this mean we have to fact-check every single CV that every member of Congress has submitted to the House of Representatives? Primary sources WHAT. Man, if I submitted a falsified CV to an employer I’d probably be facing administrative sanctions, at the very least.
GREEN LIGHT: The Senate has OK’d Mislatel’s transfer of ownership, which takes the consortium a step closer to becoming the country’s third telco. Here’s their rollout plan.
Media recs
NETFLIX: One Day at A Time Season 3 is here and it is amaaaazing. Anybody up for some very well-written and nuanced discussions of race, drugs, queer identities, alcoholism, mental issues, ageing, and a host of other issues? Please don’t sleep on this series. It’s so damn good. Also: It has a spectacular discussion on anxiety that had us teary-eyed. We felt so seen. Thank you, One Day at a Time, and see you in Season 4!
NETFLIX: Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll is golden, and I suggest you just go watch it without reading up anything in advance. I mean it. Best to go into it without knowing what you’re getting into, because it is one damn good ride. Come yell after?
SPOTIFY: Ariana’s new album has us dancing randomly in the kitchen. The video to Break Up With Your Girlfriend is expectedly getting some flak, and it has most people going, What is up making that girl-on-girl kiss the plot twist? and I’m like, that was a plot twist? Hahaha inexpect ko kasi kaya ang basa ko endgame (laugh/tears emoji). But seriously, if you wanna help the cause, you gotta stop setting up these wlw kisses for men’s enjoyment and/or torture. Wanna celebrate girls? Make an all-girl video! Betty Who can do it!
YOUTUBE: I thought this year would be the year we’d get inundated with queerbaity commercials at the annual VDAY VIRALITY COMPETITION but maybe not again, no. Initially disappointed that an app called FindHer is actually not a lesbian/queer women-only dating app, but I watched the ads anyway (via Smart LTE! LOL love your own.)
YOUTUBE: Okay, so I think this was well-done. Spoilers: Character death, and yeah I know, I’m so done, too, but this made me wish I wrote it: The Head and The Heart—Another Story.
ICYMI: We made this handy decision guide re: survey elections. Wrote about that earlier this week. C also has it up on her dataviz page.
xo,
K.