Here's another one of my unpopular opinions: perhaps we should be more bothered that the first thing that comes to the mind of any ID doc regarding recent measles outbreaks is us. I get the anti-Semitism thing. The woke whataboutisms irk me, but I get those, too. Ultimately, though, we are the most recent and memorable example of an outbreak of a disease which was supposed to be gone. That fact bothers me a whole hell of a lot more than Fauci mentioning it in passing.
(I'm a little sensitive to the issue, because I happen to live in a community with a large anti-vax contingent. I don't believe it's as "fringe" in frum circles as we'd like to believe. I'm sure there are stats somewhere that prove me wrong.)
Do you live where the anti vax folks that were kicked out of Brooklyn schools had to run to to form their own school? If so, on behalf of NY, I am so sorry!
I am also extremely bothered by the anti vaxers, particularly editors of mainstream publications (coughncncough) who amplify their voices and mainstream their views. But the issue was Fauci's public statements, not frum anti vax rates.
I think the anti vaxers are MUCH louder than the general population, Anecdotally, for every anti vaxxer screaming from the hilltops, there are a few hundred people trying to avoid them and the discussion altogether who don't utter a word. You are right, I can produce stats to prove you wrong, the
NYS school immunization tracker, which shows the rates were high even before the post measles crackdown. Since measles, the schools will get fined and so they don't accept unvaccinated kids (at least in Crown Heights). I have not looked through that data, but
this guy says it is 96%