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U.S.WHAT JUST HAPPENED

NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health…

Health officials say the outbreak extends beyond the confirmed cases in New York, since testing and confirmation lag behind the spread; the official number only moves one way.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Hank Ledger on Best of BBN
Published
Photo: CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Hank Ledger on this story, from Best of BBN at 4:15 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Gothamist's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Measles
Photo: CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

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  1. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentHere is the one-sentence version. Health officials say the New York measles outbreak is bigger than the official count shows, according to Gothamist.

  2. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBigger than the count. So what does that mean for someone who just woke up and has not seen a number?

  3. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt means the cases officials have confirmed are only the ones they have found so far. Officials say more people are likely sick.

  4. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorLike a guest list that leaves out half the people who showed up.

  5. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentClose, except those guests are contagious. Measles spreads through the air, and it can linger in a room after the sick person has left.

  6. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAfter they have left.

  7. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentYes, for a couple of hours. That is part of why it travels so easily through schools, waiting rooms and apartment buildings.

  8. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHow does an official count end up smaller than the real thing? Somebody must be counting.

  9. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentCounting takes time. A family has to get tested, a lab has to confirm it, and the health department has to record it.

  10. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe virus does not wait for any of that.

  11. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the outbreak races ahead while the official count lags behind, playing catch-up with the paperwork.

  12. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentRight, and the reported number is a floor, not a ceiling. Every new test result is the count catching up.

  13. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWho does this hit hardest?

  14. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentFamilies, mostly, especially people who are not vaccinated and babies who are too young for the shot. It is a public health story first.

  15. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd the argument? There is usually an argument.

  16. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOfficials say the undercount is the problem to fix. How fast to test and track, and who should do it, is where people will argue.

  17. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the fight is over speed, not over whether it is real.

  18. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOn the facts we have, yes.

  19. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentI will say the AI that writes this show gave me a very calm script for a very contagious virus.

  20. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt is overnight. We all sound calm.

  21. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentWhat to watch next: updated counts from health officials, and whether the gap between the official number and the real one starts to close.

  22. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd if you are unsure about your vaccination, you can ask your doctor. That is not a joke.

  23. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSo, the one-sentence version again: the outbreak is bigger than the count, and the count is still catching up.

  24. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the only certain thing in this story is that the official number goes up.

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