California health officials and doctors are strongly urging parents not to intentionally expose their kids to infectious diseases after news broke that anti-vaccination parents may be throwing “measles parties” so that their kids can get the disease out of the way and gain immunity.
“It’s the worst idea I’ve heard in a long time,” said Kathleen Jordan, a doctor who specializes in infectious disease at Dignity Health Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. “Measles kills people, and I can’t believe anyone would send their child to a party knowing that.”
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She warns that parents intentionally exposing their kids put them at risk of respiratory issues that can lead to pneumonia, a swelling infection that can result in permanent brain damage and hearing loss, and a fatal disease of the central nervous system that doesn’t develop until 7-10 years after being infected with measles.
