Health
How Much Vaccination Stops a Measles Outbreak?
To stop the spread of an infectious disease like measles, you don’t have to vaccinate everyone. But you do have to vaccinate many.
Just how many? To let you discover for yourself, we simulated an outbreak of a hypothetical disease, about as contagious as the flu. (A lot less contagious than measles.)
We’d like you to contain it. But first, some basics:
Here’s a sick person in a population with no protection against the disease.
That person infects some neighbors.
Who, in turn, do the same.
Soon, almost everyone has been infected.
In a world where no one has immunity, infectious diseases spread exponentially. That’s what happened early in the Covid pandemic.
But for most infectious diseases, many people will already have some level of immunity — whether through a previous infection or through vaccination — and this can slow the spread.
Now it’s your turn to try.
Level 1: Less Contagious
How low can you set the vaccination rate to contain the outbreak?
This simulation uses randomness, so the results will turn out somewhat differently every time you play it. But there are patterns that you can discover: When the vaccination level is below around 40 percent, outbreaks are very likely. Above that level, they’re quickly extinguished.
Chance of an outbreak growing out of control for a less contagious disease
That sharp gradient from red to white shows us this “herd immunity” threshold, where vaccination can halt an outbreak and protect the unvaccinated. (Including those who can’t be vaccinated, such as infants and people with weakened immune systems.)
The difference is stark. A little below that threshold, outbreaks easily grow out of control. Above it, they are quickly squelched. This is why it’s so important to keep vaccination levels above the herd immunity threshold.
Next, let’s see what happens with a disease that’s more contagious.
Level 2: More Contagious
How low can you set the vaccination rate to contain the outbreak?
Because this disease is more contagious, it can more easily slip through the gaps of unvaccinated people.
That’s why the vaccination level needed for herd immunity rose from around 40 percent to around 60 percent in this example: It takes greater levels of vaccination to contain a more contagious infectious disease.
Chance of an outbreak growing out of control for a less contagious disease …
… and for a more contagious disease
So far, all our simulations have assumed that vaccination is evenly distributed. In reality, that isn’t the case.
Our final simulation tries to capture two neighboring communities. Think of them like two school districts in the same county. In one district, 75 percent of students are vaccinated. In the other, just 50 percent are.
That means the average vaccination rate for the county overall is 63 percent — right around the herd immunity threshold for our simulated disease. But see what happens.
Unvaccinated pockets
50% Vaccinated
75% Vaccinated
For the most part, the 75 percent district is protected, while the 50 percent district is overrun, even though they sit right next to each other. Herd immunity operates at a local level, and the average vaccination rate for a broad region can mask smaller communities at risk.
On a few tries, you might have gotten lucky and seen the outbreak fizzle out. This, too, mimics reality. But luck is not an effective public health strategy.
The simulated world you saw above mirrors a real-world problem: There are increasingly many parts of the U.S. where skepticism of vaccines has gained momentum and childhood vaccination rates have fallen.
And measles is far more contagious than the disease we simulated — because of space constraints, we could not even simulate it in this form. It’s so contagious that a vaccination rate of 50 percent or even 75 percent won’t contain an outbreak.
How contagious is measles?
Epidemiologists estimate the contagiousness of an infectious disease with a “basic reproductive number,” or R0 — how many people a sick person infects, in a community with no protection.
A disease can grow out of control if an infected person infects more than one other person, on average. A person with the flu can infect one to two others — an R0 between 1 and 2.
But a person with measles can infect 10 times as many:
Disease
Contagiousness (Est. R0)
Measles
Whooping cough
Covid (Omicron)
Chickenpox
Polio
Covid (Delta)
Flu (1918)
Seasonal flu
For measles, a 1982 study put its R0 between 12 and 18. A more recent review of studies found a very wide spread, with a median of around 15 in the Americas.
That means measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. And there’s a direct relationship between contagiousness and the level of protection needed for herd immunity.
Population protection needed for herd immunity
Reaching herd immunity means each infected person can infect only one other person or fewer, on average. That means, at the high end of the measles range, you’d need to prevent 17 of 18 infections, or over 94 percent. That’s why health officials set a goal of vaccinating 95 percent of people against measles.
(The measles vaccine, unlike vaccines for some other infectious diseases, is very effective and its protection lasts decades; measles also is extremely unlikely to develop mutations that allow it to evade the vaccine.)
The average vaccination rate for kindergartners in the U.S. has fallen below that threshold since the pandemic. Most kindergarteners now live in states where the vaccination rates are below herd immunity.
Number of states with kindergarten measles vaccination rates below 95 percent
Many kindergartners live in counties and go to schools where the rates have fallen even further, below 80 percent or even below half — making it possible for measles to spread like wildfire.
new video loaded: Wii Bowling Takes Over Tulsa Retirement Homes
transcript
transcript
Wii Bowling Takes Over Tulsa Retirement Homes
Retirement communities in Tulsa, Okla., compete against one another in a Nintendo Wii Sports bowling league.
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“That’s how you win.” “There you go, Ron.” “Way to go.”
By Nick Oxford, Alisa Shodiyev Kaff and Alexandra E. Petri
June 19, 2026
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As the popularity of GLP-1 drugs continues to climb, significant weight loss associated with the medications has been linked to a growing list of cosmetic concerns.
Some surgeons report that more patients are seeking treatments for so-called “Ozempic earlobes,” which reportedly appear thinner, longer or more sagging after the loss of facial fat.
“The use of semaglutides causes you to lose fat across your body, including the small, fat pads of the earlobes,” facial plastic surgeon Sachin S. Parikh, MD, told NewBeauty.
OZEMPIC, OTHER SEMAGLUTIDES LINKED TO HAIR LOSS: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW
“It’s important to note that semaglutides do not damage ear tissue or affect hearing in any way, so any intervention would be purely cosmetic,” added the California-based doctor.
Some of the potential treatments for “Ozempic earlobes” may include dermal filler, fat transfer, laser treatments or surgical earlobe reduction, according to the report.
As the popularity of GLP-1 drugs continues to climb, significant weight loss associated with the medications has been linked to a growing list of cosmetic concerns. (iStock)
Dr. Mohammed Asif from Duly Health and Care in Naperville, Illinois, said that while he hasn’t personally noticed an uptick in ear surgeries, he has seen a rise in other procedures due to GLP-1-triggered weight loss.
Some of those include panniculectomies (Ozempic skin removal surgery) and abdominoplasties (tummy tucks).
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“There has been a significant increase in body contouring procedures among patients with GLP-1 weight loss,” Asif told Fox News Digital.
“In my practice, I’ve seen a significant surge in breast lifts, panniculectomies (skin removal surgery), abdominoplasties (tummy tucks), brachioplasties (arm lifts) and thighplasties due to weight loss.”
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Healing and recovery are “far greater and less complicated” than with bariatric surgery weight loss, Asif noted.
“This is due to the gradual weight loss achieved over time with GLP-1s.”
“Ozempic breast” is another common complaint, according to Dr. Michael Omidi, a double board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Beverly Hills.
“There has been a significant increase in body contouring procedures among patients with GLP-1 weight loss,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Women in their 30s and 40s would not typically need a breast lift, but when you’re taking drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy that cause rapid weight loss, women can see gravity take its toll on their breasts,” he told Fox News Digital.
“When women, especially younger ones, lose fat too fast, it causes the breasts, which are comprised of fat, glandular tissue and skin, to lose volume,” he went on. “The skin and supporting ligaments don’t always bouce back at the same rate as the weight loss, resulting in breasts that can appear saggy and deflated.”
NEW OBESITY TREATMENT MAY HELP PRESERVE MUSCLE DURING WEIGHT LOSS
Dr. Samuel Golpanian, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said he has seen “dozens” of patients – men and women alike – seeking treatments for so-called “Ozempic butt” after significant weight loss.
“This is an unintended consequence of taking GLP-1s,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“Such dramatic weight loss in a short period of time causes the skin not to tighten quickly enough to keep up with the body’s changes. Our buttocks have a large amount of fat, so when that volume disappears quickly, you’ll develop a flatter, saggier behind.”
“Such dramatic weight loss in a short period of time causes the skin not to tighten quickly enough to keep up with the body’s changes,” a surgeon said. (iStock)
Kristy Hamilton, MD, a Houston-based surgeon who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), agreed that a growing number of patients are seeking skin-tightening procedures after losing large amounts of weight with GLP-1s.
“We’re absolutely seeing more of those patients, and I expect that trend to continue,” said Hamilton in an ASPS report.
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“People are losing as much as 100 pounds on this medication – and when you’re losing that amount, that’s significant. You’re certainly going to have excess skin afterward.”
The ASPS lists the following body-contouring procedures as the ones most frequently performed after substantial weight loss.
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- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty): Removes excess abdominal skin and fat
- Lower body lift (belt lipectomy): Addresses the abdomen, buttocks, hips and thighs
- Arm lift (brachioplasty): Removes hanging upper-arm skin
- Thigh lift: Tightens excess skin of the inner thighs
- Breast lift (mastopexy): Addresses sagging, deflated breasts after weight loss
- Facelift/neck lift: Addresses facial volume loss and skin laxity after major weight loss
“People are losing as much as 100 pounds on this medication – and when you’re losing that amount, that’s significant. You’re certainly going to have excess skin afterward.” (iStock)
Experts say adequate protein intake and resistance training can help minimize the loss of lean muscle mass that often accompanies rapid weight loss, which could reduce some of the cosmetic concerns.
Golpanian also emphasized the importance of eating enough protein.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It can be harder since your appetite is suppressed, but it’s so important to consume at least 110 grams of protein a day while taking a GLP-1 drug,” he advised.
“Also, I say this to my patients all the time: You have to lift weights to keep your muscles from atrophying. Strength training can help build muscles and preserve your glutes.”
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