When I was five years old, I had measles. What I remember most, beyond feeling terrible, was how worried my parents were. Statistically only between one and three children out of a thousand with measles will die. It’s a tiny number, until you think it might be your child that makes up the mortality statistics.
I remember lying in a darkened room for about a week, bored, sick, aching, unable to read, uninterested in television or the radio. It was sunny outside but the curtains in my bedroom were closed. Just enough light got in that my eyes still hurt and my father let me wear a pair of his sunglasses.
One of the many unpleasant symptoms of measles is sensitivity to light. The positive lesson of that outbreak for me, my family and millions of others around the world was the prospect of herd immunity if we were vaccinated against common childhood diseases like measles, mumps and rubella, polio and smallpox.
The British government view is clear. The MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent your children getting sick or even risking death
The miracle – as it must have seemed to my parents and older generations – was that vaccination meant it was as if these diseases no longer existed. Nowadays smallpox, caused by the variola virus and feared for its high mortality rate, only exists in laboratories. There have been no known smallpox cases anywhere in the world since 1977.
Vaccination programmes are a public health miracle. They are as significant as providing clean water to eliminate the threat of cholera and other water-borne diseases. What is therefore astonishing to those of us who remember and survived the childhood misery of measles is the degree of “vaccine scepticism” in developed countries.
Measles is back. As a result of the infection spreading among unvaccinated people in Texas, the US is seeing the worst measles outbreak in 33 years. Some speak of a “post-herd immunity” problem, with immunisation rates disrupted after the coronavirus outbreak and also diminished by an increase in vaccine scepticism. This is more accurately defined as the unscientific belief – based on anecdotes and faith rather than research – that vaccines either do not work or are harmful.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr is known as a prominent vaccine sceptic. His appointment may further reduce the inclination of some parents to get their children vaccinated. The National Library of Medicine website includes a recent report that “vaccine scepticism is an increasingly important barrier to optimal coverage in developed countries”.
The report goes on to conclude that personal or political views often undermine scientific facts.
“Just like specific political views [for example on reproductive rights, gun control] reflect a broader set of values and a commitment to a certain cultural group, vaccination scepticism typically reflects core beliefs about personal agency, and a spiritual, natural, life-affirming approach to health … [‘I feel that most knowledge comes from spiritual experiences’],” the report says.
Britain is also seeing an upswing in measles cases as a result of a downturn in vaccination rates in some areas. A child died in a hospital in Liverpool recently and parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated. A UK government report says: “In 2024 there were 2,911 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number of cases recorded annually, since 2012. This was initially driven by an outbreak in Birmingham but was soon overtaken by a large outbreak in London, with small clusters in other regions.”
The British government view is clear. The MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent your children getting sick or even risking death. But it is worth examining the American experience in detail since it reveals what might be called the information fault-lines in modern society.
Experts providing information on measles and other diseases are distrusted by some sections of the population in modern democracies in ways that would have seemed unimaginable to my parents’ generation. When I was a child, vaccinations against disease were a blessing, not a conspiracy.
Last week, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine issued a joint statement condemning “unnecessary suffering and deaths” caused by the measles outbreak. The statement noted the highest level of measles outbreaks in 25 years and said it was grounds for “reasonable alarm” about “unnecessary suffering” from a disease that was once considered to have been “eliminated” by the MMR vaccine that is “extremely safe and effective”.
Unfortunately, facts and science often fail to triumph over emotions.
The question is why such emotions, fuelled by misinformation, are gaining a hold in the US right now. The World Health Organisation reported that the MMR vaccine prevented about 60 million deaths between 2000 and 2023. Even so, about 107,500 people died from measles in 2023 mostly in Asia and Africa. It is difficult to understand why some in the US act in ways likely to risk their children becoming part of that unhappy statistic.
My father gave me sunglasses. Pseudo-science offers only blinkers.
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
