Measles Goes For the Headlines Again
In 2019, Nerd and Tie published an essay warning about the susceptibility of large conventions to outbreaks of a highly contagious disease. This was not a prescient warning about some kind of respiratory virus like COVID-19, but rather an old threat which had just caused a scare at a big anime con: measles.
Luckily, that time, the ominous rash turned out to be a case of something else. But measles was going strong in the US in 2019, with the CDC eventually counting 1,274 cases, the most since 1992.
And now it’s back. Your Local Epidemiologist notes that measles spikes are seen every 4-5 years, and the reports are already rolling in this year. Measles typically spreads the most in the spring, but in the first half of January has already seen a major outbreak in the UK and multiple cases in the US. Most of Europe has already seen a big wave, with the BBC reporting that “up to October last year there were 30,000 confirmed cases whereas the previous year there were just 941.”
The Nerd and Tie piece reminds us that all the issues around immunization which were blown up in the COVID-19 pandemic have been around for a long time. One difference from COVID-19, though, is that this time around it’s younger populations which are more vulnerable.
Some older adults may only have had a single dose of the MMR vaccine, but even that one dose provides 93% protection. (The second dose which is recommended these days bumps that up to 97%.) The steady erosion of childhood vaccination rates means that many younger adults and teens aren’t protected at all. Cons which skew young are the ones that have the most to worry about from a measles outbreak.
YLE quotes Dr. Sandro Galea: “We cannot finger-wag our way to a healthier world.” But cons can perhaps nudge their convention attendees to check their immunization status before one of them becomes a cautionary tale.
In Brief
Voting is open for this year’s Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, to pick a winner who will attend the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow (August 8-12). The ballot with candidates’ statements is available in HTML and PDF. Voting will close on April 2.
Connor Alexander has stepped down as a guest for GameStorm 24 (Portland, Oregon, March 21-24). According to the convention, he has decided to reduce his appearances in 2024 across the board, and GameStorm was affected by that choice.”
Rising Phoenix GameCon (Milford, Massachusetts, April 19-21) has announced Steve Kenson as its industry guest.
ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, February 9-11) has added Tom Payne, Michael Rooker, George Newbern, Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson, Brian Donovan, and Ian Sinclair as guests.
Kawacon (San Antonio, Texas, March 2-3) has added Suzie Yeung as a special guest.
Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, March 22-24) has added Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson, and Edward James Olmos as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of January 19-21
Labyrinth of ConFusion, Novi, Michigan, USA
COSine 2024, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
CanthroFur (anthropomorphic), Auvergne, France
Anthro New England 2024: It's a Nor'eastah!, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
KapCon 31 (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand
Ducosim (gaming), Amersfoort, Netherlands
ATG Expo (gaming), Waco, Texas, USA
Niagara Boardgaming Weekend, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Super MAGFest (gaming/videogame music), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Ohayocon 24 (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Ikkicon (anime), Round Rock, Texas, USA
Animazing-Con (anime), Savannah, Georgia, USA
Orlando Anime Day, Orlando, Florida, USA
Central Florida Comic Con, Lakeland, Florida, USA
Albuquerque Comic Con, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Weekend of January 26-28
GenghisCon 2024, Wembley, Australia
Conflikt (music), online
Game-iToba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
TantrumCon (gaming), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Cancon 2024 (gaming), Canberra, Australia
VerminCon 2024 (gaming), Vermillion, South Dakota, USA
Whose Turn Is It Anyway? (boardgames), Durham, North Carolina, USA
Lantern Rite (Genshin Impact), Grapevine, Texas, USA
SSA+S Toracon (anime), Sarasota, Florida, USA
Anime Washington, Tacoma, Washington, USA
Isshocon (anime), Novi, Michigan, USA
UChi-Con 2024 (anime), Chicago, Illinois, USA
San Angelo Comic Con, San Angelo, Texas, USA
Vampire Fan Weekend (media), Allen, Texas, USA
Mouse-Con Bakersfield (Disneyana), Bakersfield, California, USA
Weekend of February 2-4
AggieCon 53: A Midsummer Night’s Con, College Station, Texas, USA
Capricon 44: The Endurance of Stars, Wheeling, Illinois, USA
Contabile 34 - Triple Time! (music), Buxton, UK
ScotiaCon: Prehistoric Panic! (anthropomorphic), Glasgow, UK
AnthroExpo: 8-Bit Heroes (anthropomorphic), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Winter War 50 (gaming), Champaign, Illinois, USA
CaptainCon (gaming), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Rocket City Gamefest, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
PopiCon! 2024 (gaming), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Anime Lubbock, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Setsucon (anime), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
AnimeCon London, London, UK
My Hero Convention: Texas (My Hero Academia), Irving, Texas, USA
East Bay Comic Con, Concord, California, USA
Creation Dallas (media), Plano, Texas, USA
Alaska ComiCon, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Megacon Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Weekend of February 9-11
Just added: Boskone 61, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Winter Fantasy 48 (gaming), Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Running GAGG XXVIII: How to Train Your Squirrel to Train Your Dragon (gaming), Geneseo, New York, USA
DualCon (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Paradice (gaming), Worthing, UK
Game On! 2024, Bellevue, Washington, USA
AmberConNI 2024 (diceless RPGs), Belfast, UK
Kami-Con Season 15: Villainy (anime), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Animangapop (anime), Plymouth, UK
Isekai Anime Con, Sandy, Utah, USA
ExpOtaku Logroño (anime), San Millán, Spain
Just added: Animeverse Fest (anime), Houston, Texas, USA
Zipcon 2024 (anime), Akron, Ohio, USA
Farpoint 31 (media), Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
UMW Eagle Con (media), Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
ATL Comic Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Big Lick Comic-Con, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Just added: Middle East Film & Comic Con, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Weekend of February 16-18
Radcon 9: Witches, Warlocks, and Wizards, Pasco, Washington, USA
Life, the Universe, and Everything #42 (symposium), Provo, Utah, USA
DunDraCon 47 (gaming), Santa Clara, California, USA
Polar Vortex 8 (gaming), Lisle, Illinois, USA
Con of the North (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Orccon 2024 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
Williamsburg Muster (wargaming), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Decepta Con IX (social deception gaming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
J-Popcon (anime), Copenhagen, Denmark
Katsucon 2024 (anime), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Fan Expo Vancouver (media), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Boston Sci Fi Film Festival 49, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Gallifrey One's Miracle on 34th Street (Doctor Who), Los Angeles, California, USA
Geek Days Rennes (media), Rennes, France
Escape Winter Con 2024 (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Philip K. Dick Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA
CONpossible: The Jungles of Venus (alternate history), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Itzacon XVII: Return From the Grave (gaming), Galway, Ireland
Coda
Autophage rocket demo (The Register)
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