From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Dr. Jonathan Temte, the former chairman of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and a UW-Madison professor, says he anticipates more measles cases in Wisconsin.
“If I was going to make a bet, I would say that there’s a good likelihood because there’s such a large amount of cases across the United States,” Temte told “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “I think any time we have cases be identified in communities with low vaccinations, then you really have to turn on the public health system.”
The state’s first measles cases of the year were identified in Oconto County, state health officials announced Aug. 2.
Temte was part of the group that declared measles eliminated in the United States in 2000.
“We recertified this back in 2012,” Temte said. “But in 2012, we made the point that one of the biggest threats was the declining use of vaccines. And I’m afraid that this year we may very well lose that elimination status, meaning that we now have measles circulating throughout our population.”
Wisconsin has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, about 86% statewide, according to the state health department. State data shows just 56% of kindergarten students in Milwaukee Public Schools had the required vaccines last school year.
“I don’t blame people for loss of faith, but there is a lot of misinformation, and it’s incredibly difficult for anyone to have up-to-date, credible information,” Temte said. “That’s why I always tell people to have conversations with your health care provider or your doctor or nurse practitioner or your physician assistant, somebody you trust who is up-to-date with that information.”
See more from the show and see coverage on the measles announcement.
— Sen. Dora Drake is slamming Walgreens and Pick ‘n Save for “corporate abandonment” as they shut down stores in southeastern Wisconsin.
In a release Friday, the Milwaukee Dem said the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus is standing with local residents and leaders following a “wave” of pharmacy and grocery closures in Milwaukee and elsewhere.
Walgreens has reportedly closed three pharmacies and two stores in the region this summer, while Pick ‘n Save is closing at least five stores in the Milwaukee area.
Drake says the closures are a “tragedy” for locals, taking away access to food and medications even as the cost of groceries, transportation and more keeps rising.
“Businesses in our community must address the challenges their sudden departure creates,” she said in a statement. “It is unconscionable that a corporation our community supported for years would fail to engage in community transition planning, fail to maintain public transparency, and fail to make direct investments to address the gaps they leave behind.”
Drake is also praising the work of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and the Hunger Task Force along with “so many others” working to help the community amid the closures.
The two companies named in Drake’s release didn’t respond to requests for comment over the weekend.
See the release below.
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